Escalating
by Hoodies and Leather
Summary: Barry seems content with facing the increasing stress in his life on his own, until Lucas shows him that having a shoulder to lean on isn't such a bad thing. Barry/Lucas.
1. Panic

**Author's Note: This is my first attempt at writing something like this and publishing it for others to see. I hope you** **like it! Reviews are very much appreciated! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Panic<br>**

**[Barry]  
><strong>

It was happening again. It was the worst feeling to know it was coming and that there was nothing I could do to stop it. That knowledge just made everything worse. I was home alone, so nobody was around to help me. Not that I'd actually let anyone else know this was happening to me if given the choice. All I wanted to know was, why me?

I ran outside, thinking the fresh air would calm me down. I instantly regretted my decision when I was greeted with 110 degree air anchored to very thick humidity. Instead of walking back inside, I just kept going and power walked to the side of my house and paced back and forth, preparing for what was about to come.

I could feel my throat closing up as my lungs requested more oxygen. My heart was already pounding in my chest and thudding in my ears, deafeningly. My entire body felt like it was suffering from an adrenaline overdose. Nothing in particular triggered these attacks. I guess I should pay more attention in psychology class, maybe then I'd know what's going on with me. Ha. Yeah, right! All I know is, I have been rather stressed lately.

I could feel sweat accumulating all over my body. It didn't help that it was hotter than hell outside. Perfect timing, weather. I leaned my forearm against the side of my house and rested my head against my arm.

Please stop.. Please.

These attacks were terrifying as fuck. I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. I would be mortified if anyone saw me like this. I probably look like a pitiful lunatic right now!

I struggled to calm myself down, but every thought seemed to make me panic more. My eyes burned as they filled with hot tears that rolled down my cheeks. Not to mention I was shaking like crazy.

"Barry?" I jumped at the familiar voice calling my name.

**Fuck!** Lucas.. He's the last one I want to see right now. Why am I so stupid? I could have at least stood on the side of my house where he can't see me from his own house.. Ugh!

I tried my best to force myself to put on a facade that everything was fine and face him, but instead I just stood there with my face against my arm.

I could hear his footsteps approaching me; quite quickly, actually.

"Barry, what's wrong? Are you okay?" His voice was dripping in concern.

"I-I'm fine." I managed to choke out. Even my voice was shaking. I could practically feel the frigidity of Lucas' disbelief as he stared at my back.

"Dude, seriously, I'm not stupid." He sounded thoroughly annoyed. "What's wrong? You're shaking." His tone changed quickly. God, I don't want him to see me like this. I lowered my arm and rubbed my eyes.

"I'm just sick. That's all." I gulped, turning to him. He looked so upset and worried. I was only kidding myself. If my glowing red face wasn't a tip off that "I'm just sick," was bullshit, the continually rolling tears probably were.

I quickly learned that trying to hold these feelings in was a bad idea. I felt like I was struck with another tremendous blow. I backed up into the wall and slid to the ground.

"Lucas. Come here. Please." I tried to speak quickly, using as few words as possible. I genuinely felt as if I was losing air I wouldn't get back. I realize that a few moments ago, I wish Lucas hadn't found me, but now I desperately needed him.

He ran and sat down beside me. I grabbed his hand without really caring what his reaction would be. Luckily he didn't seem to mind. He gripped it tenderly within his own.

"I'm scared. I'm so fucking scared. I feel like I'm going to die." More tears rolled out, causing Lucas to wrap his arms around me.

"You're not going to die, Barry. I won't let you. You're gonna be fine. You just need to relax." He gently rubbed my shoulder and my back.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He shifted so that I was now leaning against his chest, with his head resting on top of mine. My face was nestled against his soft, red scarf. Most of my body lay in between Lucas' long, arched legs. Normally this position would have been incredibly awkward, but it felt so good at that moment. I felt more safe than I ever felt before, to be quite honest.

I swear, Lucas has the magic touch, not to mention the magic voice. The feeling of him holding me in his arms and his reassuring words began to untie the knots crushing my body. My breathing and my heartbeat began to slow down. I was feeling a ton better. Unfortunately, a terrible headache and body pains were left in my anxiety attack's wake. I guess Lucas took note of this.

"Come on, let's get you inside. It's gotta be way cooler in there than it is out here." He got up and helped me to my feet and into my house. The feeling of air conditioning upon walking in was absolutely refreshing. Lucas helped me up the stairs to my bedroom where he set me down on my bed.

"I'm going to get you some water and stuff. Just lay down and relax." Lucas commanded. I usually don't listen to Lucas when he orders me around, but I simply obeyed him this time.

He soon returned with a bottle of water, some aspirin and a cold cloth. He handed me the bottle and pills. "Here. Drink this."

I took them from him, putting the pills in my mouth and gulped down the cold water as if I just escaped a desert. He took the cloth and wiped my sweat and tear-stained face gently. It felt so good. I couldn't help but hum in pleasure.

I noticed Lucas seemed a little distressed. I wondered what was going through his mind. I was almost dozing off from him cooling me down when I felt him grab my hand.

"Barry?"

"Hmm?" I opened my eyes to see him staring down at me with a grave look on his face.

"Please tell me what's going on. What happened?" I gulped and closed my eyes for a few seconds as I tried to gather my thoughts. I couldn't lie to him. He didn't deserve my bullshit after saving my life like that.

"I promise I won't tell anyone else. I'd never do anything to hurt you, either." He continued. Man, I've never seen him so serious. Lucas was usually the serious guy in our friendship, but this was a whole new level. I must've scared the shit out of him. I'm sorry, Lucas. I never wanted you to get involved in my disaster of a life.

"I don't know, Lucas. I've been getting panic attacks out of nowhere for a while lately. I haven't been getting very much sleep. I've been worrying about life and the future, school, relationships.." The more I talked about it, the more I realized what I was all worried about and the more emotional I became. There was one thing in particular that was bothering me, but I purposely left it out. Lucas noticed I was getting upset.

"Okay, calm down." He said quietly, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Haven't you told anyone about this?"

"No. I don't really know why. I guess I don't see the point because I feel like nobody can help me anyway. As for the panic attacks.. I guess I was too embarrassed to let anyone know." I looked downward, not wanting to face Lucas. He was now gently caressing my hand and arm.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Barry. Especially not with me. I wish you would have told me sooner." I sat up next to him, our shoulders and knees touching.

"I know. I'm sorry." I looked him in the eyes, he gave me a small smile before pulling me into a warm hug. I rested my head on his shoulder as he rubbed my back.

"No wonder you're having panic attacks. That's a lot to deal with on your own." Even through muffled vibrations, Lucas' voice was like sweet music to my ears.

Seriously, why didn't I just tell him what was going on? He's the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I felt so good and so safe in his arms. It's been a long time since I felt that way. His touch sent chills up my spine. I closed my eyes and listened to him breathe.

"You still with me?" He asked.

"Oh! Sorry. Yeah, ..I am." I was a little embarrassed that I was falling asleep on my friend's shoulder.

"Enjoying this, are you?" He laughs. I chuckle, too.

"Yeah, kinda.." I admit. I hope he doesn't think that's weird.

"Good. Anything to make you feel better." I smile and take that as my cue that this is over and I start to release him from the embrace.

"Well if you're comfortable, you don't need to get up." He tells me. I'm shocked and quite ecstatic he says this. I gladly return to my position as he continues to rub my back.

After a while, his reach extends up to my neck and he runs his fingers through my thick blonde hair. I was in heaven.

"That feel good?" I respond with a drowsy, but ecstatic "Mmhmm!" He seems pleased.

This situation should weird me out more than it does. Not just what we're doing, but how I feel about it. I'm loving this. I wish it would never end. I seriously just want to hold Lucas for the rest of my life . That'd make me the happiest guy on the planet.

It's weird. Here I am, enjoying the sound of his voice and loving how my hands feel small within his. I don't know what to think of this, but I do know that I'm not disliking it whatsoever.

Soon, Lucas' hand travels back down and continues rubbing my back underneath my shirt. The sudden and welcome change causes me to sigh contentedly out loud. For the first time, I notice how smooth the skin of his neck feels against my face and the feeling of his arms rubbing against mine as he grazes my back. All that along with the already amazing sensation of his fingertips running along my back makes my heart pound and I can feel myself stiffening.

"Lucas." I mumble, eyes still closed.

"Yeah?"

I hesitate for a second, "You're the best."

He laughs and replies jokingly, "Thank you. I try!"

"No. Really." I lift my head up and stare straight into his blue eyes.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." Lucas' eyes widen and looks like he's at a loss for words.

I'm not sure what to say, either. So instead, I start to lean into him and close my eyes.


	2. Someone for Me

**AN: First off, I want to thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing my story! I'm happy to hear that people enjoyed the first chapter. I didn't mention this before, but different chapters will be taking a different character's point of view. Each chapter will be preceded by the name of the character with the POV.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Someone for Me<strong>

**[Lucas]**

His lips brushed against mine gently, much to my surprise. Barry isn't the most graceful or calm guy around. To be fair, he hasn't been himself today. Actually, this has been the case for a while already. I only hoped that this wasn't stemming from something more serious. I could still feel some leftover tremors from Barry through his lips and his hands which were resting on my own.

Our lips lingered like that for what seemed like forever. I was in no rush to end it, as simple as it was. I was just blissed out to be in this situation at all, which is weird in itself. It's not as if I'd been praying for a moment like this for years. I hadn't even realized the feelings I had for Barry were this intense.

I'm not going to say that these feelings weren't there before, because they honestly don't feel new to me. It feels more like they've been there all along and I hadn't been aware. Not until I saw him leaning on his house, crying and terrified. I'd never seen him like that. Ever. I used to think my best friend was incapable of being anything but cheerful and energetic. I always cared for him and I always loved him like a best friend. I always felt like I needed to watch out for him and protect him due to his rambunctious nature. When I saw him like that, I thought something fucking TERRIBLE must have happened to make him so upset.

That's when I realized how much I love Barry.

As it turns out, he doesn't find me half bad, either.

Our lips parted briefly. I took this as an opportunity to be the one to keep it going. I pressed my lips against his; a little more rough than his kiss was. I sucked on them for a second before kissing him multiple times. Each kiss was deeper than the last. I started to feel and taste his saliva.

I was so into the experience that I hadn't noticed Barry's arms were now around me or that mine had involuntarily wrapped around waist. Barry's smooth tongue casually slipped across my lips, occasionally sliding through and grazing my tongue. I wanted more, so I let him in. I could feel the heat of his tongue invade my mouth as it danced across and around my own. It felt amazing. The chills it gave me caused me to moan into the kiss. I felt his lips curve into a smile, I think he liked it.

I returned the favor, massaging his tongue with my mine while my hands grinded up and down against his back. I brought them up to his neck and into his hair, massaging his head and gently tugging at his blond locks.

Eventually, we separated to catch our breath. We stared at each other for a while without saying a word. Barry was the one to break the silence.

"You're a... good kisser." He said in between breaths.

I smiled, "You're not too bad yourself." He grinned and laid back onto his bed. I laid down beside him, resting my head against one of the blankets.

I stared at his white ceiling. I was feeling such a rush, but at the same time I could feel us heading for an awkward moment. I didn't really know what to say or what was going to happen. Barry must've felt the same way.

"Lucas?"

I turned to him to see he was staring at the ceiling, too. "Yeah?"

"What do we do from here?" Barry's expression looked almost pained. I struggled to think of what to say next for a minute and then it came to me.

"When we were kissing and when I was holding you before... I don't think I ever felt so happy before in my life." The words came so easily, as if my feelings were just speaking for themselves. He turned towards me and his golden brown eyes made contact with mine.

"I didn't think it was possible to feel so perfect." I broke eye contact, feeling a little insecure for being so honest and fearing that I was too sappy.

"Sorry, that probably sounded lame."

"No, not at all." Barry slid closer to me. I looked back up at him.

"It feels right when we're together, like it's the only thing that makes sense. I love being around you. None of the bullshit matters when you're around." Barry spoke as if he were reading my mind. A huge smile spread across my face.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me." I admitted. I thought I was going to start crying. Man, I really am a sap. But I've been waiting for something like this to happen for so long. Someone to love, hold, kiss, protect. Someone for me. I had no idea that person would happen to be my lifelong best friend.

They say the best relationships are friendships first.

"Well, you always make me happy, Lucas." He slipped his hand into mine. We must've laid there in each other's company for hours. I wouldn't have spent the night any other way.

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><p>The next morning came way too fast, but not in the sense that I was exhausted. In fact, that was the best night of sleep I've had in a very long time. I woke up to blurry orange fabric in my face. My head was nestled comfortably against Barry's chest, my arms wrapped around and underneath him. I quickly remembered the events which led to this.<p>

I knew there was a reason why I felt so relaxed and energized for once, rather than tired and burned out. I felt Barry tenderly running his fingers through my hair.

"Good morning, Lucas." He said down to me, dragging his fingertips along my temples.

"Morning, Barry." I mumbled into his chest.

"Sleep well?"

"Yeah, did you?" I yawned, enjoying his early morning massage. I could get used to this.

"Sure did. Best night ever!" He laughed. I smiled briefly before remembering what day it was.

"What time is it?" Barry leaned over to glance at his clock.

"It's 9:44." My eyes shot open and I moved from my comfortable spot.

"Shit! My parents are gonna kill me!" I haphazardly began pulling my socks and shoes on.

"Why? What's going on?" Barry must've thought I lost my mind.

"Umm, it's a family thing. I'm supposed to go with my parents to see my aunt, uncle and cousins today. I sorta owe them since I haven't gone with the last four times." I explained while dealing with my uncooperative left shoe.

"Aww.. I was hoping we could hang out today.." Barry frowned, laying beside me.

"Yeah, me too. I completely forgot about this. My mom's probably wondering where the hell I am." I stood up and reluctantly headed for the door, as if this were the last time I was gonna see Barry. It's funny because I've never felt this way when it came to him. Now that things were so great between us, I just wanted to stay with him. I didn't want to leave him so soon.

"I'm hoping this isn't actually an all day thing." I said, turning around. "And I REALLY hope this doesn't turn into an all night thing, either."

"No kidding, cause if it does, I'm going to have to change it from 'family time' to 'family plus BARRY time'!" Now that would be interesting. He got up from his bed and hugged me. It was weird to think that this wasn't normal for us only about half a day ago. I hugged him back and kissed his forehead.

"I'll be back before you know it. Promise!" Before I could leave, he grabbed me and planted a nice wet kiss on my lips.

"You better!" Barry said, pulling away. I grinned and headed down the hall.

This situation really couldn't have happened at a better time. I mean, Barry had the house completely to himself for the next few days. Otherwise, our little experience wouldn't have been quite as sweet. What with having to be extra cautious and stuff. Plus, it meant that we could spend time together without being interrupted for a few more days. It was nice.

As predicted, my mom wasn't happy to see me walking in a half hour before we were supposed to leave, especially when I was expected to be coming down from my room rather than the front door.

"Where have you been?" She greeted me, sternly.

"I was at Barry's." I answered, as if it were obvious and shrugged.

"A little heads up would have been nice. You do remember we're going to see your aunt and uncle today, yes?" She asked in a way that was more of a reminder than a question.

"Yeah, yeah, that's why I came back already." I wanted to take back my choice of words as if it would've crossed her mind that my best friend and I would be making out.

"Why, did Barry get a new video game system or something?" She asked as she fixed her hair in the mirror.

"Yup! Exactly!" I headed up the stairs, not wanting to accidentally out myself. "Well, I better get ready!"

Before long, we were on the road. Just me, dad, mom and my little sister, Melissa. I stared out the window at the scenery passing me by, thinking about Barry. As if I could think about anything else. I thought about how much I'd rather be with him and doing anything with him. It's not like I didn't like my family, it's just that Barry is who I really needed right now. Sure, my aunt and uncle might like to see that I've grown a foot since the last time I saw them, but my cousins don't really care.

I don't really know why my parents insist I spend so much time with my cousins. They're closer in age to Melissa than me. What would a couple of 12 and 11-year-olds have in common with a 17-year-old? What would they know about falling in love with your best friend?

Not to mention, Barry might actually need ME more than I need him. Despite our new relationship, his attack has been taking prominence on my mind as well. I'm worried about him. I can't shake the feeling that something major is bothering Barry and he needs me to protect him or at least make him feel safe from whatever it is.

I didn't make any effort to conceal my desire to be anywhere else right now.

"Jeez, kiddo, don't get too excited back there." My dad said, noting my expression. I merely glanced at him and then focused back on the fleeting scenery. He chuckled at my annoyance.

"I don't know why you guys want me to go so badly.." I broke the silence, which I'm sure they weren't expecting.

"You know your aunt and uncle want to see how much you've grown. They haven't seen you since you started middle school!" I groaned and rolled my eyes. Growing up was so awkward. Everyone's always fawning over how tall you're getting and how your looks are developing. It didn't help when you've passed up most people in height. At least that's been my experience. I immediately thought of how Barry has grown up over the years. The thought brought a smile to my face. He's become a very fine looking guy. I don't take for granted how lucky I am to be with him. I wondered how he felt about how I looked. I never considered myself a good looking guy, much less 'sexy'. In any case, he doesn't need to feel insecure about himself when it comes to me.

My daydream came to an end when the car stopped at our destination.

"We're here!" My dad was a little too enthusiastic about this, I swear. We all got out of the car and headed for the dark blue, two-story house surrounded by other houses. I prepared for the awkwardness about to ensue.

Shockingly, I received several comments about how much I've grown, how much I look like my dad and how handsome I'm getting. My parents usually followed each remark with an "isn't he?" or something like that.

I was so out of it the entire time. Melissa was off playing with my two cousins, my parents were talking with my aunt and uncle and I was left awkwardly in the middle. I felt uncomfortable being so silent for most of the time, but I honestly didn't really know what else to say, other than answer questions about school and life that were being thrown at me.

I even got asked the quintessential question about my love life. I had what I hoped to be a promising love life ahead of me starting from yesterday, but I couldn't be honest about that for obvious reasons. I simple stated that I hadn't found the right girl yet.

"Oh, don't worry, you will." My aunt assured me, "Your uncle didn't start dating until the end of junior year!"

"That's what you think!" He shot back. Everyone laughed, myself included. Although my version was a little more forced. I just really wanted to get home to Barry. It was as if I were in school the day after getting a new video game and wanting to get the fuck home as soon as possible to continue playing it.

We were there for six long hours. Even though I had so much energy when I woke up, all that was gone by the time we were about to go home. Plus, I was starving. I was seriously dozing off at the table. I instantly perked up once dad said the magic words, "Well, I suppose we should get going."

"REALLY!" I blame being half asleep for blurting that out. Luckily everyone got a good laugh out of it. I find it funny that my mom wanted me to see my cousins, but we barely said a word to each other the whole time. My legs needed some serious stretching after that long sit.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" My mom turned around and asked me.

"I guess not." It wasn't bad as much as it was boring. I did try, though. Honest!

On the plus side, we did stop for food on the way home. Thank god, I was about to die of starvation. The true reward was waiting for me at home. I've never been so excited to see Barry. I couldn't wait to be with him.

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><p><strong>AN: I know this was a lot of filler, but don't worry, things will start gaining momentum! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!<strong>


	3. From Then Until Now

**AN: Thank you for the positive reviews! They motivate me to keep going, even if I only get a few. But I am very excited that people enjoy reading my story!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: From Then Until Now<strong>

**[Barry]**

I missed him. He was only gone for a minute, but I missed the hell out of Lucas already. I guess that must mean I really love him. This whole situation fucks with my head. I found it so weird that I was saying I loved someone so soon - but that's the thing, it wasn't 'so soon,' I've known Lucas since we were little. Knowing that, I didn't feel so clingy or hasty for acknowledging my love for him.

I hope I can learn to control myself. I don't want him to get annoyed with me. Goddamn, now I'm worried about what Lucas might think of me. That's never happened. I've never cared what Lucas thought of me. Not in the way that he doesn't matter, but in the way that we're both so comfortable around each other. That's because we're so fucking close that we know nothing will separate us. There was nothing either of us could do to make the other want to end our friendship.

Hmm.. Maybe I don't have anything to worry about after all.

I was inclined to sit and wait at my window for Lucas' dad's car to pull back into their driveway as if that would make them come home faster, even though I knew it wouldn't. I was so bored. I don't even remember what I used to do before I realized I loved Lucas. Oh.. that's right - I hung out with Lucas. Dammit! That big dork needs to hurry up and get his ass home.

It had only been less than a day, but I already felt like I was addicted to his touch. His sweet, warm, soothing touch. Something that I've never felt before. I've never felt as safe as I did when I was in Lucas' arms, surrounded by him entirely. I got a sense that nothing could ever get close enough to hurt me as long as Lucas was there. This must've been what I was missing out on. I figured this is what all those other kids in my class that had been dating since middle school felt when they were with their girl or boyfriends. At the same time, I couldn't imagine that's what they felt. So many of them had a million meaningless relationships. They were known for jumping into loveless flings that were completely insignificant. It's not like that between Lucas and I.

I love him.

I dropped heavily onto my bed and embraced my pillow while resting my face against it. It smelled faintly of Lucas. I breathed in the scent and sighed. I hope this wasn't just a dream.

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><p>I rolled over to read a blurred "3:33" on my clock. Whoa! How did that happen? I shot up from surprise. I don't even remember falling asleep. The patches of sweat all over my body made me aware of their presence. It was another hot day out there. Damn, I normally love naps, but I felt awful after this one. Dry mouth, sweaty, slight headache. I needed to freshen myself up before Lucas shows up.<p>

Lucas! I bolted to the window, but my face fell when I saw the empty driveway in front of his house. Ugghh. Still not back yet? It's been like five hours! I figured it wouldn't be much longer before he came back, so I took the time to shower and clean up.

A knock at the door caught me off guard while I was pulling my dark brown pants on. Normally that would annoy me, but as long as it was who I was expecting, I had no problem with it at all.

I rushed to the door and pulled it open. A huge grin grew on my face.

"Someone looks happy to see me!" Said the adorable brunette smiling back at me.

"What took you so long?" I stepped forward and gave him a hug, resting my head on his shoulder for a moment. He gladly returned it, then when we both realized we were doing this where the whole neighborhood could see, we slipped back into my house inconspicuously.

I barely had a chance to turn around before I was practically lifted off my feet, my lips meeting with Lucas'. The long awaited reunion of our lips turned my brain to mush. The fact that Lucas knew how to take control was a big turn on. We broke our kiss and headed for the couch and sat down.

"I've been thinking about you all day." Lucas said softly, draping his arm over my shoulder and pulling me close to him.

"I've been thinking about you, too." I wrapped my arms around his back and waist and leaned my head on his shoulder. Sometimes I didn't think this was real, that it was too good to be true. I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to feel this sort of affection. The entire time I desired this, however, I knew in the back of my mind, I wasn't envisioning this happening with a girl. I can't picture myself being in a position like this with a girl at all. Lucas? Definitely. He was my friend. He was a guy. He was Lucas. I was extremely comfortable being in his touch.

"How did it go with your cousins?"

"It wasn't too bad," Lucas sighed, his breath blowing my hair and his voice vibrating my face. "It was boring as fuck and I didn't even really talk to my cousins all that much. I spent more time with my parents and aunt and uncle."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't die of boredom."

"Yeah, me too." Lucas agreed.

I yawned as I felt myself drifting off to sleep in Lucas' grasp.

"Sorry I'm boring you!" He joked.

"I'm sorry, I dunno why I've been so tired lately." I really have been. I don't know what's up with me, but I felt like I could sleep for a week straight with no problem.

"Oh! I got something for you!" Lucas said excitedly, jerking me out of my approaching slumber. He shifted to the left and reached in his bag and pulled out a smaller brown paper bag and handed it to me. I already had a feeling it was something good from its delicious scent and from the warmth the bag had. Inside was a double cheeseburger and a bag of fries from Slowbro Burger, my favorite fast food place a short ways out of town. My eyes widened and my mouth gaped at the delicious meal in front of me. Lucas knew exactly what I needed.

"Oh man!" I turned to him and gave him the biggest smile, "I love you!"

Lucas grinned and chuckled, "I knew you'd be starving, so when we stopped at Slowbro Burger on the way home, I got you your favorite!" Before Lucas could finish, I was already wolfing down the food. I hadn't had a decent meal in days. Mostly cereal, snacks and lame sandwiches. I sure wish mom would have remembered to stock up before leaving on her business trip with dad.

In a few minutes, I made the food disappear. My stomach groaned satisfyingly at the greasy deliciousness I just consumed. It seemed to taste better than usual. I figured it was because Lucas got it for me. He always makes everything better.

I sighed heavily and fell back on the couch. "I needed that." I dropped my hand on top of Lucas'. "Thank you."

"Hey, I can't let my man starve." He stated, grabbing my hand with both of his. My stomach did a flip and the biggest, dorkiest smile grew on my face as soon as I heard him say 'my man'. Damn, love really does make you feel crazy things. Just then, the perfect idea came to mind.

"It's my turn to give you something now. Come on." I stood up, practically yanking Lucas to his feet.

"Where are we going?" He asked curiously.

"You'll see." I said, giving him a wink. Lucas raised his eyebrows and looked just a tad nervous. I loved it.

After about ten minutes of walking through small wooded areas and streets, we reached our destination.

"The park?" Lucas asked, but it was more of a statement. "Wow, I haven't been here in so long!" He smiled and ran over to the monkey bars.

"Yeah, I don't think I can play on these anymore," He said upon noticing he stood a whole head higher than them.

"Maybe if you didn't shoot up to eight feet tall in the past few years, you could!" I teased, Lucas gave me a look and responded with a fake laugh.

I made an attempt to "climb" the monkey bars. I couldn't poke too much fun at Lucas, as I was too tall as well, but I could still stand under them somewhat. Lucas and I were the same height for the longest time when we were younger. Then puberty happened and now he has at least four inches on me. I was kinda jealous, but at the same time, I found it hot. It also made hugs with him even more enjoyable.

Lucas ran up the stairs of this play set we called the "Slide Palace," since it had several different slides of different shapes and sizes coming out of it from all sides.

"Man, this was the shit back then!" He yelled from atop the structure. I followed him up there. I was having major flashbacks, the kind that make you almost dizzy.

"Wow.. I can't believe some of the graffiti is still here." I ran my finger over some messy, colorful tags that had been defacing the playground equipment for so many years. The words were even more illegible now than they were back then.

"We spent a lot of time here - before school, after school. I remember you and I spent hours here after school on Fridays. Our moms were so pissed at us." Lucas reminisced.

"Good times!" I laughed.

Now that I thought about it, there were plenty of times when Lucas had to leave me that I desperately wanted him to stay. Then when he left, I'd feel lonely and even sad. I knew it would only be a day or two at most that I would see him again, but let's face it; I loved being around him and I hated being away from him for too long. Most of the time I was fine when he or I had to go, then there were those times that I needed him to be here and to just share his presence with me.

Then there was the random fear that I would one day have to say goodbye to Lucas. His parents almost decided to move to towns like Sunyshore and Veilstone a couple times. That was no fun to deal with. I even cried about it once or twice when I was alone. I put up a much stronger front when I was with him, though. I breathed a huge sigh of relief the day Lucas' dad found a really good, stable job in town that guaranteed his stay.

I was grateful now that I could look up into his big blue eyes and not have to worry that he would be far away from me someday.

We sat in the park for hours. This was technically our first date. No, there were no roses or fancy restaurants or romance movies. It was just me and Lucas spending time together, talking about memories we shared underneath the stars. Speaking of the stars, they looked amazing tonight. I think given the circumstances, they shone a bit brighter for us.

I was laying on the park bench with Lucas laying on top of me, his head rested against my chest.

"It's funny to think that when we spent all this time here, we never would've thought we would be together.. like this." I glanced down at Lucas. From this angle, I could only see his short, dark blue hair, eyebrows, his fluttering eyelashes and the curves of his cheeks. He was so handsome. It was impossible for the boy to look unattractive any way you looked at him.

"As crazy as it sounds, I think that I've always wanted to be with you." He spoke softly. "Even when we were little kids. Except, you know, it was a different feeling back then than it is now." I listened intently to his words as they resonated through my being, "It's just that I always thought you were the best part of my life." I could tell he was smiling, that he was as happy as I was. Warm, fuzzy feelings consumed me. I never wanted this summer to end. I never wanted this night to end. At that moment, I just wanted Lucas and I to move into our own place. Fuck senior year. Actually, you know what? I could deal with senior year. I could deal anything as long as I had Lucas by my side.

I tightened my embrace and nestled my face in his silky hair, "I feel the same way."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Barry likes tall boys, huh? Well, that's it for this chapter! Let me know what you guys think. More coming soon!<strong>


	4. Approaching

**Chapter 4: Approaching**

**[Lucas]**

I was having the best week ever. I gotta say, it's about time. I've been having a shitty summer thus far. I have awful luck with love, dating, relationships.. all that. I'm just.. so awkward. Shy to the point where I don't even want to bother with human association for fear of permanent scarring from a traumatic social situation. I thought I liked girls for the longest time, but as I got older, I found myself staring at men more. I didn't think anything of it, really. I figured I was just admiring them.

Except, you know, guys don't usually get big tents in their pants when they're just "admiring" another guy.

Barry and I always did regular guy stuff. We were playful on the physical level; fighting and wrestling. That's when I discovered that I enjoyed Barry's touch. Even if we were sorta trying to hurt each other, his touch was warm and inviting. I loved his fun, playful nature. Even when I was in a terrible mood, it lifted me up. I was never put off by it. Usually that's the case when I'm melancholy or frustrated - I want most people to leave me alone. Cheerfulness on an over-the-top level would bug me, but Barry's high spirit worked with me rather than against me.

I laid awake while Barry was sound asleep. My body was fully pressed against his in a spooning position. My arms wrapped around him securely like paper on a Christmas gift and my face rested against his soft, blond locks. I could feel his heart beat gently against my hands. The sound of his soft breathing was calming. It felt so nice to have a warm body to hold onto rather than a pillow. It hurt to always be alone. Now I felt like my heart was finally healing.

Barry groaned painfully in his sleep and his body tensed against mine for a moment. His eyebrows scrunched inwards and his heart pounded a little faster. I figured he was having some kind of nightmare. I bit my lip and hoped it would end soon. I rubbed his arm gently, hoping it would soothe his mind and remind him I'm here.

I wonder if these little nightmares he's been having could be related to his panic attack, which thankfully he hasn't had anymore of. At least not that I'm aware of. Either way, I knew whatever it was wasn't really gone. I could feel a dark kind of pain inside Barry and it gave me my own sense of uneasiness as well.

I let out a long yawn and snuggled closer to Barry and drifted back to sleep.

"Morning already?" I groaned as Barry shook me awake.

"Actually, it's more like afternoon already." Barry informed me.

He pulled the blinds open to reveal the dark clouds that overcasted the sky. The trees in the neighborhood were swaying back and forth. Barry lifted open his window and a cool breeze blew into the room. Oh man, that felt good. What a nice change from the hot and humid weather we'd been having lately.

"It feels amazing out there," I said as I slipped my jeans and socks on.

"Yeah. That makes one day this summer where I won't die of a heat stroke from going outside." Barry stated, staring outside. He looked a little tense.

I stood up and laid a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it tenderly.

"Everything alright?" I asked, looking down at him. He hesitated for a moment.

"Huh? I'm ...fine, I guess. I just.. My parents come back today..." Barry trailed off. He looked a little more sad after acknowledging it. I think I had the shared the same expression.

"Oh.. right." I frowned. "Guess we won't be having as much privacy, huh?" He simply shook his head in response.

I pulled him into a tight hug and rocked him back and forth a bit. The poor guy seemed a little too upset by this, like there was something else going on. He was holding onto me almost as if this were the last time we'd get to hug.

"Hey.. you okay?" I asked, hesitantly. I didn't wanna make things awkward, but it was going to bother me until I did ask.

"Oh. I'm fine!" Barry laughed. He scratched the back of his head, blushing. "It's just that I'll miss our private time!" He nodded.

I smiled and nodded. I wasn't quite buying it, but I decided to forget about it for now.

"So, everyone's meeting at Slowbro Burger in a few. You coming with?" I asked, sitting back down to slip my shoes on.

"Oh, I can't. The folk are gonna be back soon. My mom wants me to be here when they get home." Barry explained, annoyance in his voice.

"Aww, well, I'll come back later if you want."

"Well, of course I want you to come back! Duh!" He teased. I stood up and hugged him again. I thought it was cute that he stood up on his tiptoes to return the hug.

"Hey, now. I don't want your attitude or I might have to punish you." I threatened.

"Hmm. In that case, I'll give you more attitude!" Barry sneered.

"Good! It's much more fun when you're defiant." Wow, our conversation was taking a perverted turn. Must be all that sexual frustration building up in us.

"Yeah? How does it make you feel when I'm defiant, Lucas?" Barry questioned seductively, his voice low and throaty as he closes the gap between us.

He doesn't wait for me to answer. I don't think I could anyway, I was too hypnotized by his eyes and the heat radiating off of his body and his words.

His hand cupped against my face and his fingers traced over my ear and into my hair. He caught my mouth up in his, slipping his tongue into my mouth. I moaned into his mouth while my tongue played with his.

Our kiss was cut short by the sound of a car entering the driveway.

"Aw, fuck!" Barry growled. We both got up to look and sure enough, we weren't alone anymore. A red truck was in the driveway, which I recognized as belonging to Barry's dad.

"Man, I'm hard as a rock!" He shouted downward at his throbbing boner.

"Yeah, you kinda are!" I laughed. I instinctively reached forward and wrapped my fingers around Barry's nice-sized erection through the fabric of his pants.

HIs eyes widened, probably more at my sudden boldness rather than the feeling at first. I gave the stiffness a quick, but firm rub. It bounced a little after I let go.

"Unnnhhhh!" Barry groaned and nearly fell to his knees. I smirked at the pleasure I just gave my boyfriend by just a small gesture.

"Thanks, Lucas! Now I'm never going to go soft again!" Barry snapped playfully.

"Maybe I'll help you out with it later." I winked and grabbed my bag from the floor.

I had my own erection going on. I adjusted myself so it wouldn't be noticed. Barry did the same thing with his. Damn, maybe I shouldn't have done that. It was taking a lot of willpower not to shove Barry down and jack him off right now.

When we were ready, we headed downstairs for an awkward conversation with Barry's parents.

"Hey mom, hey dad!" Barry said to them as they stepped in the doorway.

"Barry! I see things went well here while we were out?" Said his mom as she gave him a hug and kiss.

"The house is still standing isn't it?"

"I suppose that is an a surprise!" His mom joked. "But I see now that Lucas must've been keeping you out of trouble! How are you and the family, dear?"

"We're all doing fine!" I smiled, trying not to be awkward. She smiled back.

"Well, thank you for keeping my boy company while we were gone."

"No problem! I better get going." I headed out the door. "Bye, everybody!" I waved. I wished I could've given Barry his own private goodbye, but that proved to be a little difficult with his parents right there. I can't wait until we have our own apartment.

* * *

><p><strong>[Barry]<strong>

I wished I could have went with Lucas, but I figured today and the next couple days would be devoted to family time. I didn't care, though. I was gonna see Lucas everyday now whether anyone liked it or not.

I helped my dad bring in groceries from the car.

"Barry, I have a surprise for you!" My mother said joyously as I set down a heavy bag on the counter.

"Ooh, did you get me anything during your trip!" I grinned like an idiot.

"No, dear." She laughed. I was disappointed, but I still had hope that it was something awesome and not something lame like a calendar or some shit.

"Your brother called us while we were on our trip." I suddenly froze like a statue and I felt like my eyes were going to pop out.

"He's going to be coming back home from Unova next week!" My heart stopped, my stomach knotted up and spun in circles. I suddenly felt nauseous. I forgot to act naturally for a minute.

"O-Oh, yeah! That's awesome!" I choked out and added in a nervous laugh for good measure.

I clumsily dropped some canned food on the floor and quickly picked them up and put them away. Good thing I wasn't looking at mom or she'd see right through my paper-thin facade.

"Oh, see, I knew you'd be excited to see Rick again! It's been almost three years!" My mom was overjoyed, but I wanted to fall off the face of the planet.

"Can't wait." I responded, trying to sound enthused, but failing miserably.

* * *

><p><strong>[Lucas]<strong>

Even though it only lasted a few days, I missed being able to just walk into Barry's house. Now I had to ring the doorbell and make my presence known to Barry's mom or dad. Luckily it wasn't a rarity that we'd spend the night together. All Barry had to do was roll out the sleeping bag on the floor, which had now become a prop and we're all set!

After his mom let me in, I headed upstairs to Barry's room to find him laying on his bed, staring blankly at his TV in the dark.

"Hey!" I said cheerfully. He glanced up at me and a half smile crept on his face.

"Hey," he replied with less enthusiasm. I shut the door behind me and sat next to him.

An awkward silence followed. He had a sullen look on his face and his eyes were empty, not vibrant like the gold eyes I was used to.

"What's going on? Are you feeling okay?" I rubbed his back.

"Yeah, I'm cool." Barry sniffled and rubbed his eyes. His expression flipped from melancholy and stiff to feigned happiness.

"Uhh.. my brother's coming back next week."

"Really, Rick's coming back?" I smiled. "Well, that's cool! I haven't seen Rick in so long!" I always liked Rick. In a way, he was sorta like my older brother, too. I was always jealous of Barry for having an older brother. I always wished I had one. They seemed to have a great relationship, too.

Barry, to my surprise, didn't really feed off my excitement like I thought he would. Actually, he looked almost hurt at my reaction. He then relapsed back into his sullen, expressionless state.

I suddenly felt very awkward. Did I say something wrong? I looked down at Barry who looked absolutely terrible at this point.

Without warning, Barry got off of his bed and made a bee line for the window. He climbed out to the adjacent tree. It took me a few seconds to react.

"Barry..? ..Barry! What the hell?" I quickly followed him out the window.


	5. Disillusioned

**AN: Hey, guys. Sorry it's been a while since my last update. I've been very busy and lacking in inspiration. I apologize if any of that shows in this chapter. Anyway, enough about that.. here's chapter five!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Disillusioned<strong>

**[Lucas]**

Barry had almost climbed to the bottom by the time I carefully stepped on the thick branch among the leaves rustling in the abrasive wind.

"I better not fall.." I said to myself, glancing at the long way down.

Soon I made it to the ground and chased after Barry, who fortunately didn't run off too far before stopping in front of a different tree.

"Barry, what's going on?" I asked as I caught up to him. He continued to stare at the tree, only increasing my concern and frustration. I breathed out a deep sigh in response.

"Nothing. It's.." He started. I waited for a proper answer. "It's.. it's nothing.." He said defeatedly, glancing down and wiping his face with his sleeve.

"Come on, Barry. I know something is up. Is it about your brother?" Barry seemed to shudder at the word. He still wouldn't face me.

"My brother.." Barry's voice was a whisper. I didn't know if he was speaking to me or himself.

"He's an asshole." He said bluntly, his words were like ice. I was shocked. As far as I knew, Barry and Rick had a very close relationship. Apparently I was wrong. Something must have happened right before or since he left.

"What happened?" I dared to ask. I was almost afraid of the response. The optimist in me tried to assure me that it probably wasn't something huge. Maybe they got into an argument over the phone or something. I realized right away how naive that idea was. Barry wouldn't be acting like this over something so minor.

He painfully squinted his eyes shut and covered them with his hand. He obviously didn't want to explain it. It was none of my business anyway.

"You know what? It's okay, you don't have to-" I started off, until I was interrupted by Barry.

"He beats me." He admitted. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My heart pounded in my chest and I stumbled backwards a little.

"What do you mean he beats you?" I asked reflexively, hoping that I was simply misunderstanding him.

"I mean that when he gets mad, he likes to make himself feel better by using me as his personal punching bag." His breathing became very shaky and I could tell he was trembling. He was quickly falling apart right in front of me.

"Sometimes it's punching, sometimes it's kicking.. On bad days, I get thrown into walls or worse.."

"Oh my god.." It was the only thing I could say. Everything I knew about Barry's brother was a lie. I used to look up to him. I even told Barry this several times since I've known him. It must have killed him to hear me say that. My god, this must be what Barry's been so upset about lately.

I wrapped my arms around Barry and pulled him as close to me as I could. He instantly began sobbing into my shoulder.

"I'm fucking scared, Lucas. I don't want him to come back!" He cried. It was killing me to see him like this.

"There's no way in hell that I'm going to let him hurt you, okay?" I reassured him. He continued to shake in my grasp.

"You're safe with me and you can stay at my place if he ever bothers you. Everything's gonna be okay." My attempts at comforting him seemed to be paying off as he quieted down and stopped shaking so much. He nestled his head into my chest.

"I love you, Lucas." He said after a long silence. I felt so warm hearing him say that.

"I love you, too, Barry."

* * *

><p><strong>[Barry]<strong>

I've officially passed the point of no return. He knows now. I really hope I didn't make a mistake in telling him. But how could I? Lucas is not only my boyfriend.. he's my best friend. If I can't tell him something, then I can't tell anyone. Actually, he is the only person who knows that Rick abuses me. Aside from Rick and myself, of course.

Those things Lucas said to me outside still resonated in my mind. I've never been told by anyone that they'd protect me like that. Not even by my parents. I could feel how much Lucas meant it, too. Ever since he caught me hyperventilating outside that day, it seems as he's made it his purpose to make me feel better and to make sure I was safe by whatever it was that was stressing me. Hell, I think he knew something was up before I did.

It was nearing 2 AM and I was still wide awake and staring at my TV. Nothing good was on; just infomercials. Lucas had already fallen asleep behind me. His hand loosely rested on my side.

I felt so much more at ease that Lucas knew and that I could turn to him if things got ugly, but my stomach was still in knots over the whole thing. I just wanted to take Lucas and leave this town.

Exhaustion was finally starting to set in. I shut the TV off and rolled over so I was facing Lucas. He had the most peaceful look on his face with his lips curving in a slight grin. Just seeing him was always enough to make me feel better. I silently slipped my arms around Lucas and nuzzled my face against the soft fabric of his white shirt.

Maybe you're right, Lucas. Maybe everything will be fine.

Rick might have changed his ways and finally grew out of being a sadistic asshole. I mean, he is 20 years old and in college now. What better time for someone to make changes in their life? Ugh. I'm wasting my time thinking about this. I need sleep and pretty soon my thoughts will be loud enough to wake up Lucas.

* * *

><p>The next three days were saturated in anxiety of the dull, throbbing variety for the most part. My stomach was in constant pain and my heart would palpitate more often than I would have liked. I was inadvertantly worrying Lucas sick, who was doing his absolute best to keep me happy. What a guy. I kept telling him he didn't need to do it, but he wouldn't take no for an answer.<p>

I was a little worried about what our parents might've been thinking about us spending so much time together. I just needed to remind myself that me and him have always been inseparable. The only difference now is that we share one bed during sleepovers, our hug frequency has shot up, we touch each other in ways we hadn't before, oh, and we've added kissing into the mix.

I think that all this stress has been having an effect on my hormones. Lately, I've been wanting Lucas more than ever. I pop a boner almost every time he's around. I've been noticing more things about him that turn me on; the slight tan he has, the smoothness of his skin, how his pants are a little baggy and the way they loosely caress his waist and occasionally allow for some skin and hip bone exposure, the way his hands feel when they're holding mine or touching me anywhere. I love his dark, silky hair and the fact that he's taller than me. It makes me wonder why I never noticed these things before or why they never made me feel this way.

To be honest, there's been something about him from the start.

Lucas has always been adorable. I remember finding him cute even when we were kids. It didn't come across as a big deal to me back then. I mean, we were _little kids_. I also didn't feel the need to let anyone know. The way I see it is since my love for him has been around forever and because it was always so natural to me, I was never fully aware of its presence.

I recall moments we spent together where he made me feel so happy that I kinda just wanted to hold him. I wanted to feel his body and his warmth and smell the fabric of his shirt. Back then, I considered myself lucky that he allowed me to sit so close to him without getting creeped out or moving away. Actually, there were numerous times where he'd sit very close to me on his own. Any other guy I know would most definitely not be comfortable being in such close proximity of me or another guy.

For as long as I've known him, Lucas has had impeccable style. It's definitely grown with him over the years. I've always liked that about him. Now I'm not afraid to admit it - the boy looked hot! I haven't seen him shirtless lately, but I can tell that he's got lean muscle going on underneath those clothes.

Fuck, I need to quit thinking like this or I'm going to have to get off.

These thoughts were very distracting, but they helped to keep my mind off of certain other things. There was no reason to complain about that.

I needed to control myself. I'm not even completely sure if I'm ready to take things to that level yet. Not to mention I wasn't sure how Lucas felt about the idea of us getting that intimate now. I know that all these feelings might be the result of my anxiety and my teen horniness, so I didn't want to rush into things.

I'm a mess.

For now, I had to put all those feelings aside. Lucas and I were sitting against a tree outside, looking up at the stars. I soaked in as much of this night as I could. It might be the last drama free moment for a while. I almost didn't want to disturb the peace and quiet, but this was important.

"Lucas?"

"Yeah?"

I hesitated for a moment. I don't know why I was so nervous to ask this question. Maybe I just didn't want Lucas to think I was needy or I didn't want to put him in an uncomfortable situation. I decided to just go for it, though.

"Could.. could you be here when Rick arrives? I-I just think I'd feel so much better with you here-"

"Sure thing, Barry. You got it." Lucas didn't give me a chance to finish before answering. I knew I could count on him.

I breathed a gigantic sigh of relief. Now, if only Rick's visit could go just as smoothly.


	6. Brothers

**AN: Hey, everyone. I wanna say a big THANK YOU to those of you who sent me reviews. I can't tell you how much they mean to me. They really inspire me to keep going. It makes me very happy to hear that other people love this story, since writing it means a lot to me. Let's get on with chapter six, shall we?**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Brothers<strong>

**[Barry]**

The day I was hoping would never come had arrived way too fast. I had been so damn nervous all day long. Worst of all was that Rick's time of arrival wasn't certain, so I didn't know if I had ten more minutes or ten more hours of anxious anticipation to endure. Actually, it does get worse, as I still didn't know if the Rick coming home was the one I grew to fear and despise or a new Rick who treated his younger brother like a person and not a punching bag.

Luckily, I had Lucas here with me. His presence alone reduced the amount of tension weighing down on me by about a ton.

I wish that were enough to make my stomach stop hurting so much. Not to mention I was so jumpy that I kept looking out the window to see if he had arrived, especially when I thought I heard someone pull in or a car door slam. I think my parents thought I was excited or something. That works, I guess. I'd rather they believe that than have to explain why I'm dreading his return so much.

I prayed that this ordeal would be over with in a hurry so things can go back to normal. I think I'd rather have to endure the first day of school than this. That proves how bad I feel about this situation.

"Dude! Dude.. calm down. You're gonna give yourself a heart attack if you don't chill!" Lucas informed me as he watched me pace back and forth. He was laying down and glancing at a magazine.

"Errr! I can't chill. I feel like I'm gonna be sick, Lucas. Can you and I just get outta here or something?" I scrunched my face in turmoil. I was about to rip the hair out of my head.

Lucas tossed the magazine aside, hopped off the bed and pulled me into a strong hug.

"Okay, breathe, Barry. Everything's gonna be alright, I promise. Please just relax before you have another panic attack." He said softly, rubbing my back while I tried my best to quit hyperventilating. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it would explode.

"There's no way I'd let anyone lay a finger on you. I got your back. You don't have anything to be afraid of as long as I'm here, okay?" I held onto Lucas tightly. He always knew the right thing to say and the perfect way to bring me back down to earth.

"You're right." I agreed, "I'm just used to being afraid when he's around, I guess."

"I know, but now you have me on your side and to look out for you. Even if we weren't in a relationship, I would have made sure Rick left you alone if I'd ever known what he's really like." Lucas sounded almost remorseful, like it was all on him to figure this out and stop Rick.

"I hated seeing you so terrified that day. I never want to see you like that. I swear if Rick ever hurts you again, I'll beat the shit out of him." I could hear his voice crack a little. I absolutely do **not** want Lucas to blame himself for this or to feel as if he's responsible for my safety, but it felt amazing to know he cares about me so much.

"I love you." I hugged him tighter, hoping it would make him feel better. "I want you to know that if our roles were reversed, I would be telling you how much of an ass kicking I'd give to Rick, too." He chuckled in response, lifting the mood a little.

"I don't doubt that for a second." He lifted his head up and looked down into my eyes. "Are you feeling better?"

"Definitely." I smiled. It was a first that anyone has ever made me forget any sort of drama I had with my brother like that. Perfect timing, too, because not a second later did I hear my dad shout from downstairs, "He's here!"

"You're gonna be fine! Remember, I'm right here with you." Lucas assured me once again before lifting my chin up to give me a big kiss before we headed downstairs to face the music.

I wish we could've walked downstairs holding hands and, as corny as it may sound, I wish I could maintain physical contact with Lucas the entire time much like all those other couples do, but that would've made things unnecessarily complicated. That'll be an awkward conversation I'll have another time. Honestly, if we could do that, I know for sure that I would be just fine. Oh well, having Lucas right there and making occasional physical contact of some sort with him under the table was nothing to scoff at.

I barely recognized my own brother as I laid eyes on him for the first time in three years. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight, gained a lot of muscle and he dropped that scowl that I thought was permanently fixed on his face. I figured that could only be a good sign.

"There's my little bro!" He said cheerfully as he noticed me. "C'mere!" I smiled and walked over to him and we shared an awkward hug. Obviously, I wasn't happy to see him, sans scowl or not, but I had to at least fake it a little bit for mom and dad.

"Still causing trouble for the folks?" He asked. This was a side of him I usually only saw when there were other people around.

"You know it!" I laughed uncomfortably and glanced at Lucas who looked extremely guarded.

"Rick, you remember Lucas, don't you?"

Lucas forced a smile as I drew attention to him. So weird to think that would be a genuine smile had I not told him what happened.

"Yeah, of course!" Rick said, holding out a hand for Lucas to shake. "How's it going, man? You keeping an eye on my little bro?"

I scoffed in my head when he said that. As if he gave a shit. Maybe he did, in the sense that if I weren't around, who would he take everything out on?

Lucas reluctantly reached out and shook Rick's hand. "Someone's got to!"

I chuckled nervously at Lucas' icy words. Rick and my parents joined in on the laughter, none the wiser to what Lucas really meant. Thank god.

"Well, good thing you didn't turn out to be a shrimp like him." Rick flashed me a sly grin.

I was never amused by his teasing. I just narrowed my eyes at him.

"Haha. Very funny." I said with sarcasm. I was already tired of the acting.

I glanced at Lucas who looked rather uncomfortable. He wasn't the only one. As irritated as I was, I was still willing to give my brother the benefit of the doubt. He did seem like less of a jackass now.

Things got easier as the night went on. Even dinner went more smoothly than I expected. Much of the conversation was about what Rick was studying and doing in Unova. I really did try to give my undivided attention, but a lot of it was devoted to the cute guy sitting next to me that occasionally rested his hand on my knee. I was off in my own little world, chewing on my burger when Rick shifted his attention towards me.

"So, Barry, you got a girlfriend yet?"

I nearly choked. The irony wasn't lost on me. Even Lucas felt the need to stealthily remove his hand from my thigh.

"Not really, you know, I'm not really into the girls around here." I hoped that sounded as good of an excuse as it did in my head.

Rick seemed to be on the same page, though. "Don't worry, there are wayyy hotter girls in Unova!"

"Now, I don't want you to lure Barry off to Unova just to find a girlfriend!" My mom said jokingly. Oh, mom, you don't have to worry about that.

"Right, there are other things I have to think about than girls!"

"Like school and your future!" My mom chimed in. I wondered if my mom was being serious.

Rick apparently remembers that I'm not the scholarly type. "Ha! Right.. I ain't buying that for a second! Well, at least he isn't some fag who thinks about dudes instead!"

I instinctively clenched my teeth and balled my fists at the mention of that word. In the past, it never bugged me. Now it felt as if someone was dragging a cold knife against my skin when I heard it. Meanwhile, Lucas was shooting Rick a contemptuous glare from across the table that went unnoticed. I shook off the feeling and continued along. Lucas seemed to cool off after a few moments as well.

"Ricky! There's no need to be offensive." My mom scolded him. Rick responded by shrugging and rolling his eyes.

After we finished dinner, Rick, Lucas and I played basketball in the front yard. It's something we always used to do as kids.

Back then, I spent a lot of time with my brother and Lucas, sometimes even Lucas' little sister, Melissa. Rick always treated me a lot nicer when there were other people around. I wish he was like that in reality.

Rick always kicked our asses in anything we played, but he seems to have lost his touch since he left for Unova.

"Come on, Rick! What happened? Are throwing skills one of the first things to diminish in old age?" I teased.

Lucas was genuinely amused and Rick seemed to be a good sport about it. I took the opportunity to just mess with him. Rarely did I get the chance to rub something in _his_ face. Plus, I was still a little annoyed by that "fag" comment. Among tons of other things, of course. I didn't really go beyond the usual comments like, "I could've done better in my sleep!" or "Even an elderly Torterra could move faster than that!"

After a couple games, Lucas sat one out and watched Rick and I duke it out on the court until he decided to go home and take a shower. Soon, I saw my parents walking out the front door.

"Boys, we're going to the store!" My mom yelled to us. "Wanna come with?"

"No, I'm having too much fun teaching Rick how to play basketball!" I joked, Rick gave me a playful glare.

"Alright, we'll be back later. Play nice!"

The car pulled out and they drove off as I scored another basket.

"I am on a roll tonight!" I cheered out loud.

Before I could continue, my celebration was cut short when a strong hand unexpectedly latched onto my wrist and nearly yanked me off my feet in an all too familiar manner.

"OW! What the-!" Suddenly I was pulled up against Rick, whose attitude flipped entirely. He towered over me, his blue eyes drilling down into mine with a terrifying intensity.

"If you **EVER** make me look like a dumbass like that again, I'll knock your fucking teeth out!" He bellowed in my face, spraying saliva at me with every other word he spoke. I was disgusted, but I was too petrified to do anything about it. Not that I could really move while I was in his iron grip. All I could do was stare up at his beet-red face as he verbally ripped me to shreds.

"GOT IT?" He screamed again and shook me. I nodded profusely.

"Good." His expression loosened before he suddenly shoved me backwards with all of his strength.

I crashed into the pavement and skidded against it, causing me to yelp in pain. I glanced up at Rick as he stood over me.

"Not so tough now, are you? You little shit.." He laughed mockingly at me as I lay on the ground helplessly. He whipped the basketball at the ground, which narrowly missed my head by a few inches. Then he walked back into the house and slammed the door behind him.

I laid there, unable to process a thought or move a muscle.


	7. False Hope

**Chapter 7: False Hope**

**[Lucas]**

The hot water felt so good as it rushed down every angle of my body. I stood directly under the head so the incoming stream had a relaxing waterfall effect as it made contact with me. My mind has been racing and noisy all day. Actually, that's been the case for the past few weeks, but today has been especially chaotic. Barry has been a constant occupant in my mind and now that his brother, whom I foolishly idolized all these years, was back in the picture, I was worried about his well-being.

I've been having nightmares since the day he told me the truth about his brother. I'd wake up covered in sweat from the horrible scenarios that played in my mind of Barry beaten and.. oh, god.. **NO!** I don't want to think about it now. I'll just get upset all over again.

I wouldn't be able to handle it if anything like that happened to Barry. I think I'd drop fucking dead.

Dammit, Lucas, **STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!**

I splashed some steaming water on my face to snap out of my depression spell and took in some deep breaths. Apparently Barry isn't the only person I need to reassure. I never want to let him know the extent of my fears. I don't want to scare him or stress him out anymore than he already is. I need to be strong for him and no matter how badly I feel, he's feeling at least a hundred times that.

Occasionally, the indistinct yelling of the neighbors outside broke my concentration, but the sound of the water pelting the tiles kept me deep in thought for the most part.

I'm just glad that things seem to be going fine between Barry and Rick. He seemed understandably nervous at first, but I could tell he loosened up after a while. Maybe Rick turned over a new leaf. I could only hope.

As I scrubbed my body down, the possibility of Barry doing this to me in the near future crossed my mind, as well as the possibility of me doing it to him. That idea went straight to my head, if you know what I mean.

I realized I was taking forever in the shower. I quickly finished up, dried off and threw on some fresh, clean clothes. I stepped outside and was about to head to Barry's house when I saw that Barry nor Rick were outside playing basketball anymore.

I nearly jumped when I noticed Barry sitting on my porch, slumped over.

"Whoa! Sorry, Barry. I didn't see you there!" I laughed at myself, but Barry didn't seem too amused.

"Sorry." He replied solemnly, keeping his face down. I didn't like this at all.

"What's wrong?" I asked, afraid to hear the answer. I could already feel adrenaline coursing through my veins. I instinctively rested my hand against his back and he jerked forward and hissed in pain. The sudden movement startled me. I gave him a puzzled and concerned look.

He stood up and turned to me, "You got any bandages or something?"

We were back in my bathroom which was still humid from the shower I just got out of. Barry gently pulled the back of his shirt over his head to reveal a long, red scrape across his back.

"Oh my god..." I gaped in horror. Barry glanced back in shame. I could tell from the way his hands shook that this wasn't from any accident.

"How did this happen?"

Barry hesitated for a couple seconds, gulped and began explaining.

"After you left, my parents went to the store. I thought everything was cool and that's when Rick grabbed me by my arm, screamed in my face and threw me onto the pavement." I thought that was horrible enough, but then he went on, "Oh, and he tried to hit me in the face with the basketball." He said, staring ahead.

"I'm going to kill that prick." Before I knew it, I flung the bathroom door open and began to storm down the hall.

"NO! Wait!" Barry yelled as he hopped off the counter and grabbed me by the wrist. "Don't say anything. Please!" He pleaded.

"Are you insane? He's hurting you again!" I shouted, gripping his shoulders tightly.

"Telling someone will just make things worse! Believe me, I played every single possible scenario out in my head. Most of the time it ends up with my family splitting up or nothing working out as planned. making Rick even more pissed at me and sending me to the hospital ..or the morgue."

All these images started appearing in my head. Thinking about Barry having to endure torment from his brother as long as he lived or until he moved far away. The thought literally made me feel like throwing up. I thought I was going to fall over. I leaned against the wall, practically collapsing against it hard enough to make the hallway shake.

"Are you okay?" Barry raised a brow at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, wiping some sweat from my forehead. I wasn't fine, but I don't want Barry to know that.

"Lucas, please. No one can know about this. Please don't tell anyone. Besides everything else, it's fucking embarrassing!" Barry bowed his head.

"Embarrassing?" I questioned.

"..That my big brother abuses me." He explained. My heart broke a little at that.

"You're embarrassed? But Barry, it's not even your fault! Rick's the one who should be embarrassed for being a disgusting piece of shit who tortures his little brother!" I spat. I was mystified as to why Barry could ever feel that way. He's the victim, how could anyone look at him and think less of him for something that he can't control?

"You don't get it! If people found out that Rick has been doing this to me, everyone will think I'm weak to allow it to happen. Not to mention that's all they'll ever think about when they see me. Then comes the judgements and assumptions that I must be fucked up from it all or that my whole family is insane!" He sat down and buried his head between his knees. I could tell he was tenaciously fighting back tears.

I knelt down next to him and rubbed his back, careful to avoid the scrape.

"Alright, I get it. I won't say anything. Just calm down, okay?" I lifted his chin up so he was looking at me. "We'll keep this a secret for now. We need to figure this out, though. This can't keep happening. You realize that, don't you?" I stared into those gold eyes of his, glossed over in tears and surrounded by red irritation. The sight threatened to make me sob with him, but I managed to keep my emotions in check. He nodded in agreement.

"Good, now let's get that scrape bandaged up."

We headed back into the bathroom where I checked the cabinets for disinfectant and bandages. Upon finding them, I poured the disinfectant on the bandages and carefully applied them to the wound. Barry hissed as they made contact.

"Sorry, it's gonna sting a little." I held my breath each time I stuck a bandage on him. I felt a little guilty for being turned on at the lean muscles that rippled in his back as he moved.

Barry remained silent through the whole thing, his heavy breathing being the only thing echoing in the room.

"Done. I hope that heals fast." I said as I pulled down Barry's shirt. "Why don't you stay here tonight?"

"There's no way my mom would go for that with the asshole being back." Barry frowned. "She acts like it ruins the sanctity of his fucking return if I don't spend the whole day there." He growled. I felt so pathetically powerless to help him and it absolutely killed me.

"Well, there's no reason I can't just stay over at your place then, right?"

"I don't know. I don't really care, either. I want you there." He said, looking up at me. I smiled down at him.

"Then I'm there!" I wrapped my arms around him in a tight, comfortable embrace, lifting him off the ground a little. I could feel his lips shape into a small grin against my neck.

I set him back down. "How're you feeling?"

"Better, thanks to you." He smiled.

As soon as we stepped back into Barry's house, we were greeted by Rick and his Stepford smile.

"Sup, Lucas?" He said cheerfully from the living room as we walked past, acting as if nothing had happened, just as Barry predicted.

It took all the willpower in my body to stop myself from lunging at him and ripping him apart. I was satisfied with giving him a scowl and the silent treatment, but I couldn't even get that much. I still had to play it cool.

"Not much!" I responded, giving him the biggest, phoniest smile in my life.

"Hey, Barry!" He yelled in a taunting as we approached the stairs. Barry ignored him, but he had to snag my arm to stop me from charging back in there. He rushed me up the stairs before Rick could test me anymore.

"I'm sorry, Barry. I'm trying to control myself." I sighed as I sat down on his bed. He sat next to me.

"I know you are. I appreciate it." Barry leaned against me. "Also, I think it's pretty bad ass how tough you are." He grinned and kissed me on the cheek.

I never thought of it, but he's right. I do get pretty hot-headed when Barry's in trouble. It's not such a shock, though. Since I would never let anything bad happen to Barry as long as I had a say in it. I would die for him.

I also get a kick out of the fact that he thinks I'm tough. That's a first that anyone's ever thought that of me.

"I'm glad you think I'm bad ass." I admitted while blushing slightly. I felt like I came off as such a dork when it came to taking compliments.

"There's nothing that's _NOT_ bad ass about someone who cares enough about me to go toe-to-toe with my brother." Barry said into my shoulder.

"I wouldn't have to think twice about doing that or anything else if it means protecting you."

We sat there in silence for a while. Barry's breathing eventually slowed down and became rhythmic, he was fast asleep against me.

What am I gonna do? I can't realistically keep watch of him 24/7. I know that Rick will take the opportunity to strike as soon as I'm not around.

I do have the option of telling his parents or anyone at all about this, but if what Barry fears will happen as a result does come true, he will never forgive me. By that point, I would have already lost his trust. What he told me does put things into perspective, though. Even if I don't fully understand what he's feeling, I know I should trust him on it. He knows what's going on better than I ever will.

I just need to be here for him in every way possible and hope that Rick won't stick around long. After we graduate, we can move far away from here and never look back.


	8. Ruin

**AN: Once again guys, I can't thank you enough for the reviews, favorites, etc. You make it easier to keep going with a story that already means a lot to me. I'm very excited that other people are interested to see what's going to happen next! Anyway, enough talking. Here's chapter 8!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Ruin<strong>

**[Lucas]**

"Barrrryyy? Barry, you gonna sleep all day?" I poked at the sleeping blond boy. He had been asleep for at least 10 hours straight, ever since last night when he passed out on my shoulder. He was in quite the deep sleep.

Occasionally he would groan and respond with a very slurred "Yeah, I'll be up soon.." Then return to breathing deeply into his pillow. Poor guy's exhausted. I was hoping that we'd get to spend some quality time together with his parents at work and Rick out with his own friends.

After an eternity, he finally woke up. He looked like hell, his hair was a mess and he had bags under his redened eyes. He would've fallen right back asleep had I not been there to rouse him. He could hardly even stand up, much less walk in a straight line. I suggested a long, hot shower would wake him up.

I can't blame Barry for feeling like this. I already feel like I could go into a stress-coma and I'm not dealing with a fraction of the shit that he is. I can hardly concentrate on anything because I'm too busy solving an impossible word problem in my head.

Too bad the consequences of ignoring this problem wasn't just docking ten points from my grade. I've been thinking that perhaps Barry is overexaggerating the repercussions of coming forward, that things won't be as severe. Maybe he's just blinded by paranoia. That's a chance that I wasn't willing to take. I'd never go behind Barry's back like that. It's something that could POSSIBLY help him in the long run, but he would be so upset with me and I don't want to lose him.

I need him, too. I hate being alone. Barry has always existed in my life as my best friend, but I still felt lonely. I sometimes feel like this is all just a dream and I'm going to wake up alone in bed, back in a reality where I don't have anyone to shower with affection.

What if I hadn't walked outside and found Barry and rushed to help him? Everything would still be the same and it might've remained that way between us forever. I cringed at the thought of myself being alone, of him being alone and having to deal with Rick all by himself.

What if I were to accidentally step into some time warp and zap myself back to the moment right before I decided to go outside, except this time, change my mind and prevent any of this from ever happening in the first place? I shook my head at my thoughts.

Now I'm just being crazy. My mind scares me sometimes.

Luckily, the insanity was interrupted by Barry walking in. He looked more awake now and his frizzy, towel-dried hair stuck out in every direction.

"What are we gonna do today?" He asked as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his socks on.

"Actually, Fiona asked me if we wanted to go with her and Jake to see the new _Renegade Gallade_ movie tonight." I mentioned. Barry twisted around so fast, the gust of wind nearly blew me out the window.

"Oh my god! _RG3_ comes out tonight! I've been waiting for the new one since last year!" He beamed, bugging his eyes out.

"How could I forget? You've been counting down the days since you heard about it!"

"I know, I guess more important matters have been on my mind lately." His expression softened to a more sly one.

Soon he was climbing on top of me and kissing me. It felt like it's been forever since I felt his soft, warm lips on mine. I was getting hard as is and his occasional rubbing against my erection only sped up the process. He must've noticed as he chuckled a little upon contact.

I wrapped my legs around him and brought him down closer while I slipped my tongue into his mouth and slithered it over and around his own. Now I could feel Barry hardening against me, too. I reflexively bucked my hips up and slightly grinded my cock against his.

He responded with a very muffled "Oh my god," that vibrated both of our mouths.

I reached down and glided my hand under his shirt and felt his smooth, lean back. The feeling of his bare skin was turning me on. My hand continued its journey down his back and firmly grasped his ass. Oh, and what a perfect ass this guy has.

"Mmn!" He groaned in response.

Fuck, I was so hard! I just wanted to rip his clothes off and do the deed right here and now. I sat up and was about to pull Barry's shirt off when I heard a car door slam.

We both froze for a minute before Barry got up and looked out the window. "He's back," he groaned, sounding as displeased as I felt.

"Dammit..!" I shifted, trying to retract out of "hard" mode.

Barry returned to his spot next to me on his bed, both of us still panting heavily. The close contact and the sensation of his warm breath on my skin did nothing to help my issue.

"How long until we have our own place?" I asked, staring at the ceiling.

"About a year. At least." He sighed. I groaned and leaned against his shoulder in defeat.

"Luckily I get to have the house to myself a lot with my parents always on business trips. I foresee a lot of after school specials on the horizon." Barry grinned wildly and waggled his brows.

"Ooh, I can't wait for that! Will I be learning more from these specials than I will in school?"

"Sex ed's got nothing on me!" He said, folding his arms behind his head.

"I prefer hands-on learning. I'm a physical kind of guy, you know?"

"I know and that's why I think you'll pass with flying colors.. well, maybe not colors, but something else will be flying." Barry sneered and focused his attention at my throbbing length.

"Guess I'll have to wait to play with you!" He reached down and gave my very erect penis a good pull. I bit my lip at the resulting reflex.

"Oh god! Now it'll be an hour before that thing softens up!"

"Hey now! Payback for when you did that to me! Impure thoughts flooding my head is not something I want right before I have to associate with my family, ya know!" Barry retorted.

"Fair enough." I laughed.

"Sooo.. how big are you, anyway?" Barry asked nonchalantly. I snorted at Barry's sudden boldness to ask such a question.

"You'll see. I want it to be a surprise!" I answered coyly.

"Sexual frustration at its finest." He sighed, glancing up at the ceiling.

"I guess that's what we get for being two teenage guys."

"Yeah, no kidding." He rolled his eyes. The sound of someone moving around downstairs reached our ears.

"Maybe we should keep this on the down low before Rick comes out of the closet FOR us." I whispered. Barry seemed to wince at the mention of his brother's name. His demeanor changed in a split second and I wondered if it was a mistake to bring him up.

"Yeah, about him." He shifted to face me. "There's something I've been thinking about."

"Yeah?"

"I'm tired of his shit, Lucas. I'm going to be 18 soon. I can't keep letting him bully me like I'm a little kid. It's time he learns his place." Barry explained, a dead serious expression on his face.

I looked at him and nodded, "You're right. You need to show him that he can't push you around."

"I'm just scared.."

I reached out and grabbed his hand. "Don't be. You're strong. I know you can handle him. And you know, maybe this is exactly what needs to be done to stop him."

"I hope so."

"Listen, I'm gonna get going. I'll be back here around 7 and we can meet up with Fiona and Jake." I got up and headed for the door but changed my mind.

"You know, I think I'm gonna take the other exit. For some reason, I don't want to see your brother." I said sarcastically. Barry walked to me and gave me a goodbye kiss.

"I can't wait to finally get out of the house later." He smiled, eyes shining. It's been a long time since I've seen him this happy. It made me feel so much better.

"Me neither." I smirked before climbing out the window.

* * *

><p><strong>[Barry]<strong>

Without Lucas around, it's quite obvious how much of my life actually involves him, especially as of late. I had nothing to do for four hours before he came back and we met Jake and Fiona at the theater.

I still couldn't believe I forgot all about _Renegade Gallade 3_ being released today. That speaks volumes on how much Lucas means to me. A wild herd of Tauros couldn't keep me from _anything_ having to do with _Renegade Gallade_.

I haven't done a whole lot of socializing or gone out much this summer, so it'd be really nice to leave the house and do something with friends I haven't seen since Junior year ended. Of course, Lucas will be there also. Normally I'd get tired of hanging around the same person all the time, but I think I could spend every single day with him and never get sick of him. I must really love him.

I'd been sitting on the living room couch watching TV by my lonesome since Lucas went home. Rick was upstairs, probably plotting new ways to ruin my life. I haven't even seen him since he returned home. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rick come downstairs and head into the kitchen. I didn't bother to make eye contact. I tapped my foot as I waited for him to leave, feeling uncomfortable the entire time. I wanted him to go without saying a word to me. Just leave me alone and let me watch my show. As usual, I didn't get what I wanted from him.

"I'm expecting a package to be delivered today or tomorrow. I'm going out, so I need you to wait for them to show up and sign for it." He said from behind the kitchen wall. No fucking way! Tonight was _my_ night!

"I can't, I have plans with some fr-" I tried to explain, but he wasn't having any of that.

"Don't care. Cancel it." My mouth flattened into a thin line as my patience quickly depleted. "You don't need to go out with your gay ass friends. Stay here and watch for the delivery guy to show up." He commanded, my rage was bubbling under and it was getting increasingly difficult to contain.

"Fuck you! If you want it so badly, you can sign for it yourself!" As soon as I began speaking, I heard him drop something and began stomping his way into the living room to face me.

"..What did you say to me?" He stood over me, shooting down an intimidating glare. I resisted the intense urge to cower like I normally did. Instead, I made direct eye contact and gave him my best sarcastic tone.

"Let me repeat it slowly so you can understand. FUCK.. YOU.." The back of Rick's hand slammed into my face the instant I finished speaking. My right cheek stung from the impact.

"**OW!** WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" I yelled, holding my cheek which was now throbbing.

"What's _MY_ problem? What the hell is _YOURS_? I ask you nicely to do something and you have to be an asshole about it!" He said, suddenly playing innocent as always.

"Right, I forgot that 'asking nicely' to you means barking orders _without_ using your fists. God, you are out of your fucking mind!" I stood up and stormed past him to the stairs. "I can't wait until I move out of here and never have to see your ugly ass face again!"

"You know, you should be thanking me." Rick said snidely to my back. I turned and scrunched my face at him.

"For what? Making my life a living hell?" I snapped. He just grinned.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here." He said tauntingly, still grinning like a lunatic. He wasn't making a damn bit of sense, so I didn't bother to take him seriously. I scoffed at him.

"Yeah, whatever. You keep telling yourself that." I rolled my eyes, waved him off and turned to leave again.

"Mom and dad didn't even want anymore kids after they had me." He continued in an almost mockingly serious tone. I stopped to hear him out, against my better judgement. "But I was bored.. So I cried to them every day about how much I wish I had a little brother or sister to play with. Then a year later, you showed up! Coincidence? I don't think so!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My brother is more of a fucking lunatic than I could have ever imagined! But.. what if what he's saying is true?

"So you see, little brother, you were only born because of me. Not because mom and dad wanted to have another baby to add to the family tree, not to bring another little bundle of joy into the world. You were brought here to please _me._" I tried so hard to ignore his bullshit, but I couldn't help it. His words were already burning into my mind.

"Shit, I thought by now you would've understood that on your own. I mean, come on, you're a complete failure at everything you do." He laughed. I could feel my heart start to race. The more I tried to calm myself down, the more anxious it made me. I could feel my face turning red.

"You're just like this toy that we haven't gotten around to throwing away. But I have to admit, you are still useful. Now do you see why I expect some fucking gratitude?" His sadistic grin made my blood boil. I stood there defenseless as he hurled one ruthless attack after another at me. His words struck me in such a way that I didn't even understand what I was feeling, all I know is I could feel tears building up in my eyes. The voice of reason in my head was gone, all I could hear was doubt. I couldn't speak; I didn't want him to hear anything in my voice that indicated that he really got to me.

The only thing I could manage to get out was, "I always hated you."


	9. Strong Words

**Chapter 9: Strong Words**

**[Barry]**

I tried so hard to keep Rick's words at bay, but they were already deeply rooted in my mind and playing on indefinite repeat. My brain was numb and my mind was fixated on what had just taken place. I couldn't believe how quickly Rick could destroy me. I hated him; for who he is and because he had so much power over me. I desperately need him out of my life. I don't care if I never see him again.

I reluctantly reached for my phone and began typing out a message to Lucas. The last thing I wanted to do was cancel on him, but I was in no mood to go out and socialize, not to mention Rick would murder me if I didn't stay home and wait for his stupid delivery to show up. I texted Lucas and told him I had a migraine and insisted he had a good time without me. I didn't want to lie, but I knew Lucas would have stayed home and gotten involved if I told him the truth. I don't want that. Why should he have a miserable night just because I have to? Aside from all that, I just felt guilty that my problems have also become his.

I fell onto my bed and stared at the wall, thoughts rushing through my head. Each thought I had was about Rick and how unfair it was that he could have a fun, carefree life while I wasn't entitled to one.

The front door slammed shut as Rick headed out to his car and drove off to hang out with _his_ friends. Fury coursed through my veins as I lamented him. I could feel the hatred burning hot inside me.

Instead of using it to fuel a breakdown, I just allowed it to torment me and I just took it.

**[Lucas]**

I must've spent at least an hour getting ready by now. I felt like a total chick, but this was a special night. This was my first date with Barry.. in public.. with two other people. Okay, so it wasn't the traditional first date situation yet, but we'll get there soon enough. I still wanted to look good for him.

I know this means a lot to Barry. The poor guy needs to get the fuck out of the house, have some a great night and unwind. I don't know how much more stress he can handle right now and there's no way I'll let him have a breakdown. I won't let it go that far.

I was buttoning my shirt when my phone beeped. I swiped it off my dresser and flipped it open. I smiled upon seeing Barry's name on my phone, but that quickly faded when I read his text. Apparently he had a migraine and wasn't going to make it. He wants me to go without him and have fun.

My heart sank. I didn't want to go without him. He'd wanted to see this movie on premiere night since last year. It wouldn't feel right to go without him. We've gone to every Renegade Gallade movie together so far. Plus, I was less than willing to leave him alone with Rick, especially if he's defenselessly laying in bed with a migraine. No way would Rick actually take care of him, either.

I think I'll just tell Fiona that neither of us can make it and I'll head over and take care of Barry.

Then again, I don't think Barry likes me babying him like this all the time.

I sat and thought about it for a while. Barry wants me to just go and have fun. He'd be annoyed with me if I stayed behind to look after him. Eh, I might as well.

I finished getting ready and walked out the door. I glanced at Barry's house and noticed the vacant driveway. I sighed in relief. That's a good sign! At least Barry won't have to deal with Rick on top of having a headache. That made me feel a lot better, but I still wish Barry was joining us.

I made my way to the theater where Jake and Fiona were outside waiting.

"There you are! Where's Barry? The movie's gonna start soon!" Fiona said, looking around for him.

"Barry can't make it. He's sick." I answered with disappointment.

"Aw, that's too bad! I was hoping to see him again! How have you guys been, anyway?" She asked.

"We haven't been up to much. This summer's been kinda boring!" I chuckled. If only they knew. "What about you guys?"

"Quite the opposite, actually! Jake's been getting us into a lot of crazy parties lately!" She grinned. "These are high school parties, too. I can't wait to start going to college parties next year!"

"I can probably get you in too, if you want." Jake said.

"Sure, that sounds cool!" I said, but I wasn't really that interested. I definitely wasn't the social, partying type of guy. I felt like I was way too awkward to fit into that scene.

"Sweet. Well, we better find some seats!" Jake said, leading us into the theater. It was pretty packed, but luckily there were enough empty seats for us.

* * *

><p>The movie was amazing. Barry would've loved it. I couldn't stop thinking about him the entire time and wishing he was sitting in the empty seat next to me. I really did feel kind of guilty for seeing this without him, but he insisted that I went. I was planning on heading over to his house as soon as the movie finished.<p>

We ended up standing outside the theater chatting and catching up on stuff for almost an hour. They both certainly have changed a lot since the end of junior year. They were big into the party scene and kept persuading me to go with them sometime. Who knows? It might be fun. At least with Barry there, it would be. Which reminded me...

"Well it's getting late, I better get going or my mom will kill me." I said, making up the first excuse that came to mind. I really was having a great time, being out of the house and doing something different was something I needed, but I wanted to make sure Barry was doing alright.

"Okay, man, we'll have to do this again sometime!" Jake said.

"Maybe next time it can be all four of us!" Fiona said, giving me a hug.

"For sure! See you guys later!" I waved goodbye and started on my way back home.

**[Barry]**

I spent hours laying in my bed. I hadn't done a single thing since my confrontation with Rick, aside from getting up and answering the door for the delivery guy. I contemplated just ignoring the doorbell and letting the guy think no one was home and leave with Rick's package. I figured it'd only bite me in the ass later.

I signed for it, told the guy to have a nice day, then I carelessly whipped it onto the table and returned to mope in my bedroom. I hope I broke whatever it was.

My emotions have been all over the place. I'd go from an intense rage to wanting to bawl my eyes out ten times all in a matter of a minute. I wanted it to stop; it was driving me crazy and it made me feel nauseous. I wanted to let the emotions out before they exploded, but they just wouldn't come out.

I paced around my room anxiously, occasionally glancing in the mirror as I walked past it. I stopped and faced my reflection. I stared at myself for a minute.

"Maybe Rick's right; I am just an object. I can't ever seem to do anything right or stand on my own two feet, either. It must be true. I can't even deal with him without needing Lucas. God, he must think I'm so weak." I cringed at the thought of what Lucas must really think of me. I suddenly felt extremely insecure when I looked back at how I behaved.

"All I ever do is cry and cling onto him like I'm some child. He's probably GLAD that I cancelled on him so he could get away from me for a few hours." I turned away from the mirror, unable to look at myself any longer and sat down in front of my bed.

"I'm so sorry for dragging you into this and for being so weak. It's selfish of me to always rely on you."

I thought of how unnecessary this whole thing was in the first place. Why did Rick have to be like this? Why couldn't he be a normal, loving older brother instead of this monster?

I hated Rick with every fiber of my being. I don't even consider him my brother anymore. He's dead to me.

I wish he _was_ dead.

..Wow, did that thought really just cross my mind?

It wrenched my heart to realize it's come to that. Not only did I hate him, but I hated how he forced me to be this angry person who could have such evil, malevolent thoughts about another person - my own brother. I almost blamed myself for loathing him, but he left me no other choice. It wouldn't be healthy to love someone like that, not even if they were family. Even after all that, I couldn't help but feel terrible about it.

"Why do you have to do this to me?" I asked out loud. "I wish you you could've been nice to me so I wouldn't have to hate you." I could feel a lump forming in my throat.

"Siblings aren't supposed to do this to each other. Look at Lucas and Melissa. Lucas would NEVER hurt her. Using your size and your age as an advantage to torture someone younger and smaller than you? What a shitty fucking thing to do! Especially to someone you're supposed to protect..." Tears began to spill down my cheeks.

"Melissa's so lucky she has Lucas as a brother. I must've done some horrible shit in my past life to end up with you." I kept going with my monologue. It just felt so much better to say these things out loud rather than keep them silenced inside of me. It's not like anyone was home to hear it. Moments where I can voice my honest thoughts came only so often, so I took them when I had the chance.

"As weird as it sounds, I envied her. I used to always want Lucas as my big brother instead." I recalled times when I was a little kid, thinking about how much better my life would be if Lucas really was my older brother. Rather than having to do an endless amount of chores and fearing him, we'd have fun, play games and have a real brotherly bond.

"Now I have something way better. I have Lucas as my lover and because of him, you matter to me even less. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. If I didn't have him, ..I probably would've killed myself a long time ago." A warm feeling overtook me for the first time since he left this morning. It was a feeling only Lucas or thoughts of him could bring me. It was a welcome change from the bitter cold that Rick always instilled in me.

"So, I hope you're fucking happy, Rick. You're awful enough to make your baby brother want to die. And still, I feel guilty for saying that I wouldn't care if you were gone." I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my head in them. Now I could only hope that this pain would be over with soon.

**[Lucas]**

I heard it all. I stood there under Barry's window listening to every word that came out of his mouth. I shouldn't have, but I couldn't walk away. I was dumbfounded. I knew Barry was hurting, but sitting there listening to him speak made his pain all the more real for me.

Something awful must have happened while I was gone. I _knew_ I should have stayed with him. I couldn't stay here and keep listening in on him. I had to go up there.

I decided against climbing up to his room. I figured this wasn't a good time for a surprise visit. I headed to the front door and rang the doorbell instead. After a few moments, the door opened.

Barry looked like hell. His face was flushed and his hair looked as if he had been tugging on it.

"How was the movie?" He asked. I could tell he was trying his best to conceal his emotions.

"It was great!" I said, trying to sound excited. "..Are you feeling any better?"

He gulped and looked at his feet uncomfortably. "No, not really." He admitted.

I stepped closer to him and gave him a warm hug. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well."

"I'm really glad you're here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." I did my best to comfort him. I want him to realize more than anything that I was here for him and that he can tell me anything. I don't want him to keep anything like this from me.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" I asked, trying to come off strictly as curious. Barry sighed deeply.

"Yeah, actually. Something did happen." He said, stepping back from me. "Can we talk about it in my room?"


	10. Venomous

**AN: Hey guys. I apologize for taking so long to post a new chapter. I've been very busy with stuff, including figuring out which direction I want this story to take. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, favoriting, etc.! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Venomous<strong>

**[Lucas]**

I was anxious as all hell as Barry led me up the stairs to his room. My mind raced and I prayed that the horrors that took place in my absence were kept to a minimum. If it were my way, they wouldn't have happened in the first place, but beggars can't be choosers apparently. When we entered his room, I took a seat on his bed while Barry paced around, keeping his back turned to me while he fumbled with what to say.

"Rick, well, he said some stuff.." He started out, hand snapping to his face as he rubbed it out of frustration before combing it through his hair. "But, it started with the delivery, and.." He stopped again, laughing nervously in an attempt to lighten the mood in a grim situation. None of what he was saying was coherent. His voice hinted at the disheveled state his mind was currently in, as well as his desperation to keep himself calm.

I rose to my feet and laid reassuring hands on his shoulders, "Hey, relax, it's okay. Take your time." He stopped talking for a bit, most likely to gather his thoughts and calm himself down. I could feel the rise and fall of his body slow down under my grip. He took in one last deep breath before resuming.

"Well, Rick came downstairs while I was watching TV and started ordering me around. He told me to watch for some package that was coming in the mail for him and I told him that I couldn't, I was going to be leaving soon. He didn't care and told me to stay home anyway. I told him off like I said I would and he hit me, so I stormed off. That's when.." He paused. The sudden break in his story made my stomach churn. I feared what happened next.

"He, uhh, he told me these ..things about how m-my parents didn't want to have me..." He stammered, his body starting to tremble again. I didn't quite understand.

"What do you mean, they 'didn't want you'?" I questioned.

"He told me they were done having kids after they had Rick and the only reason they had me was because Rick wanted someone to play with. He said I wasn't meant to be anything else, my only purpose was to serve him and make him happy." His voice cracked and dripped in sorrow the further he delved into the articulation of his brother's diatribe.

"He told me it was obvious since I'm a complete failure at everything I do and that I have him to thank for existing in the first place." My insides were twisting in agony at the vile things Rick attempted to poison Barry's mind with and at the effect it was taking on him. I turned him around and revealed the silent, pained tears that streamed down his face. I was horrified.

I pulled his face up to look at me, "No, you are **NOT** a failure, Barry! If anyone's the failure, it's Rick. He's such a waste of a person that he has to make you feel miserable in order to make him feel good about himself. Fuck him. Fuck everything he says! None of it's true. You mean the absolute _world_ to me, Barry. Your parents love you, your friends love you. _I_ love you more than **ANYTHING**! You aren't just a toy for Rick to play with and you sure as hell will never owe your life to an abusive scumbag like him." My words were heated and held more conviction than anything that's ever come out of my mouth in my entire life.

His glossy, golden eyes shone brightly in the light. My eyes never broke contact with his. I wanted everything I had to say to fill him and eradicate any trace of damage that Rick left in his heart and mind.

"What if what he says is tr-"

"It's not! He's just trying to get to you, Barry. You can't let him. There's no way I'll let him get to you, either." I reeled him into a deep hug and cradled his head, gently running my fingers through his soft blond locks.

"I'm always here for you and I'm not going to stop reminding you how much you matter until Rick's bullshit no longer has an effect on you."

Barry remained silent, enclosing his arms around me tightly as if his life depended on it. I could feel that he trusted what I was saying.

My heart continued to ache for him. Everytime I looked at him, I felt a twinge of pain knowing that someone out there has no problem making him hurt, enjoys making him miserable. How could anyone do that? I remembered listening to Barry talk about how much Rick made him wish he were dead. I winced at that memory. How dare that fucking bastard do that to Barry. How could he bear to look at his own repulsive reflection, knowing he's responsible for causing so much unnecessary torment and stress for his own little brother?

Barry has never done a damn thing to hurt anyone. He's the nicest, sweetest guy I know. He's the best friend anyone could ever have. He doesn't deserve this. Thinking about it, I kinda do wish I was his big brother if it meant Barry wouldn't be as fraught with turmoil as he is right now. Is that weird, given that he's my boyfriend now? No, not a chance. I just want Barry to be happy.

I'm thankful to have Barry as my boyfriend now. I'm going to do everything in my power to make him realize he's better than Rick and that he can one day leave all the hurt behind him and never look back.

As for Rick, my already veil-thin patience for him was dangerously close to elapsing. The last thing I wanted to do was make things more complicated for Barry, but I refused to allow Rick to continue to get away with his depraved actions without some sort of consequence.

"Thank you, Lucas." He said, resting his head against my shoulder. "Do you think I can stay at your place tonight?"

I smiled, "I was hoping you'd ask."

**[Barry]**

I could've fallen asleep standing there, clutching onto Lucas. My brain was fried and my mind was twisted into unrelenting knots. I could barely form a simple thought. Lucas was really the only one who was ever able to calm me down and help me reorganize myself.

These moments were indescribably sweet, but it only made it hurt worse when they were over and I was thrust into the frigid darkness of Rick's contempt. The thought made me hold onto my boyfriend a little tighter.

"You must be exhausted." Lucas noted sympathetically. I simply nodded in response.

"I could use a hot shower right about now."

"You deserve it. Go ahead and take one, we can head to my house when you're done." He said, patting me on the back.

"Actually.. I was hoping you'd join me." I said, biting my lip anxiously. I hoped my request went over well. Actually, I'd be nervous if he said yes, too. I didn't doubt that I was ready to take this next step.

Lucas' eyes widened and he raised his eyebrows at my suggestion. "Really?"

"Yeah! ..I figured now's a good of a time as any to, you know, go there." I smirked.

Lucas blushed a little and grinned bashfully, "I'd love to!"

I knew Lucas was just as nervous as I was as we headed to the bathroom. I never felt such an intense combination of nervousness and excitement in my life.

Once there, we began to undress. Both of us were sneaking peeks of the other pulling off articles of clothing. We chuckled as we each caught the other looking. I was getting so turned on by Lucas' increasing nudity. He had such an nice, chiseled body. He wasn't what I'd call buff, but he was very nicely built.

"When did you get so sexy?" I marveled at him. He smiled and laughed modestly.

"I can ask the same about you!" He replied. I was elated enough that he wasn't repulsed by my mostly nude body.

I watched intently as Lucas grasped his boxers and yanked them to the ground, revealing the fact that he has a very shapely ass and that he was rather well-endowed. The sight increased my already growing boner.

I followed suit and removed my boxers as well. Lucas turned to face me and looked very pleased at the sight that beholded him.

"Have I mentioned yet that I'm glad you invited me?" He grinned wildly.

"You like?" I asked coyly.

"I love."

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><p>Hot water doused our adolescent bodies. Our hormones made it difficult for either of us to resist keeping away from each other for very long. Our lips connected like magnets and our tongues wrestled in each others' mouths fervently. I never craved Lucas so badly before.<p>

His toned, soaked body pressed against mine and it made my blood rush madly. I gasped reflexively each time his erection involuntarily grazed against mine. Both of our hands spent a lot of time exploring the other's naked body, feeling each and every muscle.

Having such erotic feelings for my best friend was still quite a foreign concept for me, but in no way did it feel wrong or inappropriate. I enjoyed tracing my fingers up his hard biceps and down to his firm ass. He favored my chest and my stomach. The sensation of his fingertips grazing my body hastened my pulse. His touch was out of this world.

Without warning, he reached down and grabbed my boner and started pumping my shaft. His daring nature was enough of a turn on by itself, but the feeling of his hand on my cock nearly knocked me off my feet.

Involuntary grunts and groans escaped from me. "Oh fuck! Lucas.." A sly grin appeared on his face as he continued to please me. I could feel pre-cum leaking out of me and onto Lucas' hand.

My mind was gathering every instance of this situation and I was becoming increasingly turned on by every bit of it - even the smallest of details.

The way Lucas was biting his lips in satisfaction, the way his dark, wet hair curled on his forehead, the rippling of his muscles as his hand stroked me up and down, his hot breath on my face, the water dripping from his body onto mine. The eroticism accumulated as we pressed on.

I noticed the taller boy's boner and decided to return the favor. He quickly began echoing back my cries of pleasure. His cock felt so nice in my grip. Getting him off was enhancing my pleasure tenfold. I was climbing quickly and I was enjoying every second of it.

"Oh god, Lucas, I'm gonna.. I-" I erupted like a massive volcano, shockwaves of bliss exploded through my body as I shot upwards and it landed on myself, Lucas and the floor of the shower.

As the hot fluid landed on Lucas, he came close to reaching his climax as well and the process repeated a number of minutes later. Even though I already climaxed, I was still very turned on by being rained on by Lucas' semen and listening to his deep groans. We both stood there breathless and admiring each other. We could've easily made the experience last longer, but I think neither of us could resist each other for that long.

"I love you so much." He proclaimed between breaths. I responded by closing the gap between us and resuming our kissing session from before. The rest of the shower was spent massaging each other with shampoo and body wash and helping each other rinse off.

I was high on excitement the entire time. The room was filled with a thick steam by the time we stepped out of the shower and proceeded to dry each other off.

"We need to do this again sometime." I stated.

"You can say that again!" Lucas responded without a moment's hesitation.

I approached Lucas and wrapped my arms around him after he pulled a clean shirt on, "I _really_ needed this. Thank you." I gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't mention it and you're not the only one who had a good time." He smiled and returned a kiss to my forehead.

After we dressed ourselves, I peeked out the door to make sure no one was around and we headed back to my bedroom. I glanced out my window at the driveway; no one was home, thankfully. I planned on staying at Lucas' place for a while, so I wanted to pack some things in my bag to bring with. I was hoping to be a ghost by the time anyone returned home.

"We got company." Lucas said as headlights shone on his face. I got up and looked down as Rick pulled in.

"Great.." I rolled my eyes and returned to packing. "Whatever."

After a few moments, I had everything I wanted and was ready to go. Lucas and I headed down downstairs, breezing past Rick's occupied room. I caught him shooting me a subtle glance. Lucas' attention seemed to remain fixated on the room for a few seconds.

We quickly exited the oppressive house and reached Lucas' front steps when I remembered something. "Shit!"

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

"I forgot my laptop!" I groaned. "I think I left it in the living room.."

I took one step back to my house when Lucas volunteered to go himself, "I'll get it!"

"No, that's okay, I-"

"Really, you don't want to see Rick right now. I'll just go get it." Lucas claimed eagerly.

I wasn't one to argue. "Okay. Thanks, Lucas!"

"No problem, just get settled in my room. I'll be right back!" Lucas shouted as he began jogging back to my house. What would I do without him?

**[Lucas]**

I re-entered Barry's dimly lit house and made a beeline for the living room. Barry's laptop was an easy find, resting on the small table next to the couch. Rick's presence in the house was made obvious from the music emanating from his room upstairs.

I simply couldn't resist the temptation. I left Barry's laptop alone for the moment and headed upstairs.

I slowly strode to the open door leading to Rick's room. Inside, he was knelt down in front of his closet, organizing paraphernalia on some shelves. His attention was drawn to me as I came into view.

He furrowed his brow, "What do you want, Lucas?" He greeted impatiently.

"We need to talk ..it's about Barry." I stated unwaveringly. Rick shot a glare at me at the mention of his brother's name, but attempted to play it cool nonetheless.

"Yeah? What about him?" He asked, carrying on as if carrying a clean conscience and took a seat on his couch.

"Look, I just think you're a little hard on him," The magnitude of my understatement was not lost on me, "I think you should be nicer to him. He's your little brother and he deserves your respect." I made sure to maintain a polite, but firm attitude.

The aggravating grin that Rick gave me as I spoke indicated that he wasn't taking me seriously.

He snickered, "Look, dude, I don't know what you're talking about." I was in no mood to play games. He started to get up from the couch and walk away from me, but I stopped shoved him back down to his seat.

"Don't play dumb with me, Rick. I'm trying to be nice here. I know what you do to Barry and it needs to stop." I stated bluntly, astonished that my nerves weren't frayed by now. Instead, they were unmoving. It shouldn't have come as a surprise as I realized how strongly I felt about this.

"What the fuck makes you think that what happens me between me and my brother is any of _your_ business, kid?" He spat at me angrily.

"He's my best friend, so I'd say it is my business when his own brother uses him as a punching bag." I shot back at him with a glare.

He stood up once again and met me at eye level. "You better back off if you know what's good for you."

This would be the time in which I swallow my pride and walk away, but I just couldn't. I let my emotions get the best of me. The next thing I know, my hand is launching at his chest and reeling him in by his shirt.

"Barry might be too afraid to stand up to you, but I'm not. Leave him alone. I mean it." I demanded in a low, icy growl. I could sense shock in his eyes. I knew I hadn't succeeded in completely intimidating him, but my sudden boldness wasn't something he was expecting.

After a few seconds, a nearly maniacal sneer spread across his face. "Little Barry's too scared of me, so he sends his big bad friend to do his dirty work, huh?"

I shook my head, "He doesn't even know I'm here. He's not even aware that I realize what's going on. I do have eyes and ears, you know."

"Oh? Good for you. You need to get a life, faggot." He shoved me backwards, breaking my grasp of his shirt. I was tempted to slam my fist into the back of his head for using that word, but that might've done more harm than good. He turned his attention away from me, acting as if I wasn't in the room with him.

"I think you're the one who needs to get life."

Rick turned around and gave me a hateful look. "Get the fuck out, Lucas, before I get pissed off."

I turned and walked to the door as he commanded. "I meant what I said, Rick. Lay off of him." I reminded him as I left and slammed the door behind me.


	11. Last Warning

**AN: First off, I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I've been very busy and haven't had a whole lot of time to brainstorm ideas for how I wanted this chapter to go. As always, I hope you enjoy it! Also, I want to take this opportunity to thank the upward glance. He's been such a phenomenal friend and motivator to me in writing this story and in general. Thank you SO SO much for being there for me! I appreciate it more than you know. I love you! :D Anyway, here's chapter 11!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Last Warning<br>**

**[Barry]**

I felt a little awkward as I entered Lucas' home by myself and greeted his mom and dad.

"Hello, Barry!" Lucas' mom beamed as I walked in, "I didn't know you were here! Where's Lucas?"

"Oh, he went to get something from my house. He'll be right back." I explained.

"Well, make yourself at home!" She responded warmly.

"Thank you!" I said while ascending the stairs to Lucas' vacant room. I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked in, like I just entered a safe zone. A place where Rick couldn't hurt me, touch me or get to me at all. I was free from his torment while I was here. The cool blue and purple color scheme of Lucas' room washed over me and enhanced the feeling. It was a welcome change from the harsh white of my own room.

I climbed onto the soft, pillowy sheets of Lucas' bed. I realized now that it was far more comfortable in comparison to mine. I nuzzled my face against his pillow and breathed in its scent. It smelled just like him and as his scent filled my lungs, I could feel myself calming down and my frayed nerves mending themselves. I could easily fall asleep like this.

I lay still for a few minutes, unwittingly allowing sleep to take hold of me. I can't remember the last time I felt this relaxed. My only wish was that it could be permanent. I knew I'd eventually have to go back home and deal with the onslaught of anxiety again soon enough.

I wonder what's taking Lucas so long. Maybe my laptop wasn't in the living room like I thought. Well, I hope he doesn't feel the need to scour the house to find it. God forbid should he run into Rick while he's there.

After a few minutes of dozing off to the sound of my own breathing, I heard a door shut in the distance, followed by approaching footsteps closing in on the room I was in. I barely moved as Lucas opened the door and walked in.

"Sorry it took me so long. Couldn't find your laptop; it was in your room." Lucas apologized.

"That's okay. Thank you for getting it for me." I answered sleepily.

He climbed into bed beside me and rubbed his hand against my back. "You sure your mom won't mind you stayin' here for a while?"

"I'm sure. If she does, she'll get over it. If anything, she'll want me to be there to suffer during the last day that Rick will be in town.. which I'm hoping is soon."

I realized I was probably being a very boring and rude guest for falling asleep while Lucas is talking to me, so I began to pull myself awake. "Sorry, not trying to pass out already."

Lucas laid a hand on my shoulder to stop me. "Don't be silly. If you're tired, just go to sleep. I don't mind." He stated reassuringly.

"Are you sure?"

"You've had a really long day. I'd be exhausted, too. Trust me, I wouldn't be offended if my boyfriend had some much needed sleep." He smiled and ran his fingers through my hair.

"Get some rest." He said as he bent down and kissed me on the forehead. I faded into sleep shortly after.

I was wiped out, apparently. I slept for over half a day. Lucas didn't mind at all. He did his best to stay as quiet as possible so he wouldn't wake me. I felt a little guilty, like I was being treated better than I should be. However, I knew that Lucas wouldn't allow me to refuse anything he offers, so I just accepted it. But it's not like I would never return the favor. Lucas deserved the absolute best. I don't think anyone has ever gone so far just to make me happy, aside from my parents.

Lucas wanted me to remain as stress-free today as possible. I think he was afraid all the stress I've been through was about to make me snap or something. My mom called shortly after I woke up, worried about where I was. Guess I should've left a note or something. I swear, she still treats me as if I were 10 years old.

"What's the matter with you, Barry? You know how much I worry about you!" My mom practically shouted into the phone.

"I know, I know." I answered in an annoyed tone.

"You could've let us know where you were going to be!"

"Yeah, I know. It was kinda spur of the moment and you weren't home."

"Wasn't Rick here? You could've told him.."

I sighed, "I guess.."

"Oh, Barry, what am I going to do with you?" She sighed, "Well, I'm just glad you're alright. Next time, let me know where you're going to be, okay?"

"I will."

"Okay! I love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, mom."

I hung up the phone and fell backwards onto Lucas' bed. "I really wish she would realize I'm about to turn 18, not 8."

"It just shows that she loves you, just like I do!" Lucas remarked from the other room. He always brought a smile to my face.

Yet, something just didn't feel right. Don't get me wrong, I was very comfortable in Lucas' house. I felt far more comfortable and safer here than I did in my own home, but I just had this awful knot in my stomach that wouldn't go away. Perhaps it's just the lasting effects of the events of the last few days. I tried my best to hide it from Lucas. I really didn't want him to worry about me more than he already does.

Maybe I wasn't doing the best job at hiding it when I practically jumped on Lucas the moment he sat on the bad.

"Whoa, you alright?"

"Never better! I just ..really love snuggling with you." I chuckled, albeit a little nervously.

Lucas returned the embrace. "Well, we can snuggle all you like!"

I felt so immeasurably blissful whenever I was holding onto Lucas' warm body. At the same time, I worried that I'd never feel this secure or brave without being in Lucas' arms. It pained me to feel this dependent of him. In a way, I felt like I was disrespecting him.

I threw all those thoughts aside for the time being. I just wanted to enjoy this perfect situation.

Lucas' parents were taking us to the zoo today. It's been such a long time since I've been there. I think that's exactly what Lucas and I needed today, too. Even though it wasn't always just the two of us alone looking at exhibits, it was fun.

I was so fascinated with the Pokémon diving and swimming in the water. Empoleon and Vaporeon were my favorites to watch when I was a little kid and they still are to this day. I was excited to see they got new Pokémon that I've never seen in person before, like Electrike, Tropius and Sandile.

The weather was perfect; not too hot, not too cold. The sun rained down on us and bathed the trees and landscape. Kids and adults alike ran around and marveled at the sights. I felt like a little, carefree kid again.

We walked past a small keosk and something caught my eye, but I didn't want Lucas to notice. I made note of where it was so I could return to it later when I was alone.

This was the most fun I've had in a long time. Lucas really knows how to take my mind off of certain things and I think that was the best part; that I didn't once think about the issues that were troubling me. It was as if they didn't exist or matter in the least.

When it was almost time to go, I lied and said I had to go to the bathroom so I could get away from everyone else for a moment. Luckily, no one noticed I left in the opposite direction. I spotted the keosk right away and to my relief, the item I had my eye on was still there. It was a good-sized Luxray plush. I was so thankful I had some money on me and it was just enough to pay for it. Money well-spent.

I was so blissed out as I headed back to the table where Lucas was waiting for me. I hid the large Luxray plush behind my back as I approached and sat beside him.

"What are you so happy about?" Lucas grinned as I took a seat.

"I have something for you!"

"Really? What is it?" Lucas asked, a look of thorough excitement on his face.

"Okay, close your eyes."

Lucas obliged and I laid the blue lionesque plush on his lap. "You can look now!"

Lucas looked down as the large plush immediately caught his attention and an expression of surprise and glee washed over him.

"Oh my god! Barry!" He beamed, "I love it! Luxray is my favorite Pokémon!"

"I know! I saw it and I just had to get it for you! It's not too cheesy is it?"

"Are you kidding? It's the sweetest thing ever!" Lucas gave me a big hug. "Thank you so much!"

Normally, I'd be overly aware of the fact that we were hugging or showing any sort of affection in public, but I didn't care one bit. I don't think Lucas did, either. It didn't matter. I could kiss him in front of the world right now. Lucas deserves to be happy just as much as I do, if not more.

I looked around once we broke contact and surprisingly no one even noticed.

"I'm the luckiest guy." Lucas stated, causing me to blush.

"It's the least I can do for you after everything you've done for me."

I forgot that it wasn't just the two of us there for a while, until Lucas' phone beeped.

Lucas pulled it out of his pants pocket and glanced at the text message and sighed. "We better get going. My mom's wondering where we are."

Reluctantly, we got up and headed to where Lucas' parents' car was parked and climbed in.

"Did you guys get lost?" Melissa asked as we arrived.

"No, ...we just wanted to see the Toxicroaks before we left!" Lucas explained.

Lucas' mom turned around and immediately noticed the large Luxray sitting on Lucas' lap. "Oh cute! Where did you get that?"

"Oh, well-"

"This girl gave it to him!" I chimed in. Suddenly all eyes were on me. "Yeah! I think she had a crush on him or something." Lucas smiled and blushed at my spontaneous explanation.

"That's adorable! What a coincidence that it's your favorite Pokémon, too!" Lucas' mom fawned. We just laughed and gave each other a look that said 'that was a close one!'

The trip back was spent talking about all the cool Pokémon we saw and how much fun we had. It was turning into early evening by the time we got back to Lucas' house. I was so high from the excitement we had that I barely noticed how close we were to my house.

I thanked Lucas' parents for taking me along with them and then Lucas and I went to his room and played some video games for a few hours. I always heard horror stories about friends who started dating and how they stopped doing the fun stuff they used to do when they were just friends. Their relationship would become unnecessarily complicated and by the end of it, they weren't even friends anymore. I was scared that would happen between Lucas and I, but for the most part, the 'friendship' part of our relationship hasn't changed at all. In fact, I'd say it's only become stronger.

We were completely focused on the game until a knock at the door interrupted us. The game was paused as Lucas got up and opened the door. On the other side was his mom.

"Sorry to interrupt, boys. Barry, your brother is here." My heart filled with dread. It didn't matter what she said next, nothing having to do with Rick was good. "He says your mother needs you."

"A-Alright." I answered solemnly and reluctantly stood up and headed for the door. I glanced at Lucas and he had the same doleful expression on his face as I did.

Making my way downstairs, a bold feeling took over me. What was I worried about? I was staying at Lucas' house. There was nothing Rick could do to me here. I stepped outside where Rick was waiting on the porch. I practically breezed past him on the way back home.

"Hope I wasn't interrupting anything important. Mom sent me to come get you." He said with an uncharacteristic light tone in his voice.

I ignored him for a bit while I nearly sprinted for my house, eyes on the ground the whole time. "So what does mom want, anyway?"

Looking up, I noticed that the driveway was vacant a little too late.

The collar of my shirt was snatched in Rick's clenched fist and he dragged me to the other side of the house. I tried to get away, but Rick wasn't offering me any means of escape. He just found other ways to force me along.

"In case you didn't already realize, mom doesn't need you." He mocked. He could barely wait long enough for us to fully reach the other side of the garage before launching me at the wall of it.

I landed perfectly on the edge of some window frames, which made the impact all the more agonizing. I yelped like a wounded puppy and collapsed to my knees. Rick didn't allow me to stay that way for long. He grabbed me roughly by the shirt, his fingers scraping hard against my chest, then slammed me into the wall again.

"I understand that you're crying to your friends for help now. What's the matter? You can't fight your own battles, little brother?" He growled into my face.

I was puzzled. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

His face scrunched in dissatisfaction at my answer. I was disoriented by a sudden powerful punch that connected with the right side of my face. I would've fallen to the ground if he wasn't gripping my shirt with his other hand.

"Is that right? Then how does Lucas know, hmm? Tell me that. Is he fucking psychic or something?" He asked me impatiently and shook me while doing so.

My heart dropped to my stomach. I was in shock. Lucas must've said something to him. I decided it was best to continue playing stupid.

"How the fuck should I know, asshole? **LET GO OF ME!**"

I tried to shove him off of me, but he only tightened his grip. "You're not going anywhere, you faggot!"

Suddenly, I saw two hands grasp Rick and toss him to the ground. I hardly knew what was going on at first. I stumbled from the sudden loss of support, as well as the dizziness from Rick's punch moments earlier. I faced the person who pulled Rick off of me and was filled with relief when my eyes rested on familiar blue ones.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked in concern.

"I'm fine." I tried to sound more convincing, but I was still in a lot of pain.

Rick was already back on his feet. "Stay the fuck out of this, Lucas!"

"I thought I told you to leave Barry alone." Lucas snarled.

"Yeah? Well I don't take orders from kids." Rick snickered at him. He quickly turned his attention from Lucas to me and headed in my direction. Lucas' patience was just about finished.

"**LISTEN!**" Lucas bellowed as he ensnared Rick, spinning him around and grabbing him by his shirt in a similar manner that Rick had done to me, then forced him up against the wall. His head made a painfully loud thud against the siding. I watched from the safety of the sidelines as the events unfolded.

"When I told you to leave Barry alone, I wasn't fucking around. I swear, if I **EVER** find out you've so much as looked at him the wrong way again, I will kill you." Never in my life have I seen Lucas like this. Honestly, it was.. scary. At the same time, I felt an overwhelming sense of security. His voice was trembling with an intense rage that I never knew existed inside of him. His eyes weren't calming like they normally were, they were fearsome and intimidating.

I was so focused on Lucas that I failed to notice Rick grimacing in pain. Lucas' fists were clenched so tightly against Rick that the veins on his hands protruded more than usual.

Rick didn't even have a comeback for him. Lucas simply let him go after a little while and Rick walked away in defeat, not even bothering to glance at either one of us.

Lucas' expression immediately softened. I knew from that, that 'my' Lucas was back. He looked distraught with himself, almost disgusted. It was dark, but I could see his face contort in pain, like he was about to start crying or something. The silence between us was extremely uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Lucas laid his hand against the wall of the garage and took in some deep breaths.

"Nothing, I-I'm fine.."

I didn't believe him, but this wasn't the place to talk about it. "Maybe we should head back to your place."

Lucas nodded, "Good idea."


	12. When You're Right

**AN: Once again, I apologize for the long delay. Lots of stuff going on in my life lately and haven't had nearly enough time to sit down and focus, much less write. I took some time to figure and plan things out, so hopefully I can crank out these next few chapters in quicker succession than I have been lately. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: When You're Right<strong>

**[Barry]**

"Barry, I'm sorry. I'm, I-I'm so sorry. I dunno what came over me, I-" Lucas stammered, too ashamed to face me.

I was mystified as to what was going on. All of this was happening so fast. "What are you sorry for?"

"For ..acting that way. I don't know what came over me. I was.. I was no better than Rick for doing that." He bowed his head in shame. "But I wasn't about to let him keep hurting you."

"No! Lucas, you are **NOTHING** like him. Not in a million years! Do you understand me?" I walked up behind him and locked my arms around his waist, resting my head against his back.

"Please don't ever think that. He's a monster and you're the most beautiful person I know. You'll never be like him."

It was evident that he was crying a little bit by his pattern of breathing. It was bad enough that Rick was doing this to me, but now he was even getting to Lucas.

"What if it's my fault that he attacked you tonight?" He choked out. At first I was confused, but then what Rick said about Lucas knowing what was going on between us suddenly hit me.

"What do you mean?"

"Last night when I went back to your house, getting your laptop wasn't the reason I went back. I.. I heard Rick upstairs and I just had to go talk to him and see if I could reason with him to get him to leave you alone. It wasn't working, so I got hostile with him. I know you told me to not say anything, but I'm sorry, I can't fucking stand here and let him treat you like this. So, it's my fault that he hurt you tonight. I'm so sorry, Barry!" He explained in between sobs.

I was shocked. I couldn't believe what Lucas had done this, despite the fact that I asked him not to do it. He went behind my back and did something that I knew would get me in more trouble.

"Thank you."

Lucas froze, seemingly startled by my unexpected gratitude. "Wait, what..?" He turned around and faced me, "You're thanking me? I thought you'd be furious with me!"

"I guess I should be, but I'm not. Because I know why you did it and it wasn't to hurt me, it was to help me. I know you; always trying to see the good in everyone and hoping for the best in every situation. You'll give any asshole a chance to redeem themselves because you want to believe that deep down, every person has a good heart. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. I know you inside and out, Lucas. That's one of the perks of being your best friend for all these years."

He smiled through his tears, but he still looked sorrowful. "I'm sorry. Here I am whining about this and I haven't even asked you if you're alright."

I touched the developing bruise on my face upon becoming aware of it. "Nothing I'm not already used to."

"That's not something you should ever have to get used to."

I sat down on the edge of his bed. "I don't know where to go from here. I don't want to have to get anyone else involved." I was feeling anxious again. My stomach twisted and my heart began to pound, just from the mere thought of Rick and all the drama that would ensue if word got out.

Lucas sat down beside me. He held my hand and rested his forehead against my temple. "But if you don't, then this could go on forever. You can't keep running from him. I can only do so much for you on my own. He has an effect on you, even when he's not around. That won't just go away over time. He needs to be dealt with."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just scared."

"No doubt, but I'm always here. There's no way I'm going to let you go through this on your own."

"I don't want to drag you down with me. I never wanted to get you involved."

"Barry, please.. Please don't think that you're dragging me down. You're my best friend in the whole world. If you're ever hurt or in trouble, that affects me too. I never want Rick or anyone else to do anything like this to you again."

"I want it to be over. _I just want all this to be over._ I hate how he makes me feel, Lucas.. I hate what he does to me, ..to us." I attempted to swallow, but my tightening throat made that difficult. My heart was gradually speeding up the more I considered the situation at hand. I just wanted to fall into a coma until Rick went away.

His long arms snaked around me and reeled me into an engulfing embrace. Something about this always worked like a painkiller for my anxiety. It didn't always go away entirely, but at least my head didn't feel like it was going to explode, nor did I feel like I would crumble into dust. Lucas was literally my pillar of strength. I felt like holding onto him was the only thing preventing me from collapsing into nothing.

"Everything's gonna be fine. I promise." Lucas assured me in soothing tone. I rested my head comfortably against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. My negative thoughts slowly started drifting off and I finally began to relax. I love Lucas' touch, the way my skin tingles after he traces his fingers through my hair or along my neck and arms. My mind goes off to a different place.

I decided to return the favor. My hands traveled up underneath Lucas' shirt sleeves and my fingertips explored the angles of his arms and muscles. I felt every possible vein and tendon along his forearm as I made my way down to his hands. I love how they felt so strong and were bigger than my own. There wasn't an inch of Lucas' body that I didn't appreciate.

We sat there, just touching each other for several blissful moments. It was therapeutic and entrancing, not to mention erotic. I couldn't get enough of his physical contact. I wanted more. I needed it. I backed away from Lucas for a moment to pull off my shirt. Lucas looked a little stunned at my choice of action.

I latched onto Lucas and began kissing him passionately. I feared I might be coming on too strong and that it'd put him off, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he recriprocated quite nicely. Eventually his shirt joined mine on the floor, followed by most of the rest of our clothes until we were both in our underwear. He now had me on top of him, limbs and tongues entangling.

His warm, bare body felt so nice and smooth against my own. His hands gently cradled my head and stroked my temples as he kissed me. I felt so close to him, closer than ever before. The feeling sent shivers down my spine. Someone must've been thinking about me the day I met Lucas. My emotions were running wild.

"I want you so bad." I whispered to him and reached for his boxers.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" He questioned, more so in a way to make sure I was ready than to voice his own apprehension.

"I've never been more sure."

We took turns removing the boxers from each other. The arousal we were feeling was undeniably evident by now. I was feeling everything in this moment; the fear, anxiety and nervousness along with the eager anticipation and the unadulterated need for physical contact with Lucas. Once we were fully nude, our bodies collided once again with Lucas on top and we resumed our lip lock.

I can't even begin to describe how it felt to have Lucas laying down in the buff on my equally naked body. His body was so tight and firm. I felt every angle and muscle press into me. Even though we already saw each other naked in the shower, this was a new experience. No steam filling the space and no water running over our bodies, it was just us. It felt much more intimate.

I could feel his stiffened length involuntarily slide and bump against my own. The sensation was a far cry from that of anything I could make myself feel. The spontaneous surge of pleasure forced me to moan loudly into our kiss. He stopped kissing me for a moment to acknowledge what got me excited.

"You like that?" He grinned down at me. I nodded eagerly.

He barely waited for an answer before he began to caress my balls and my fully erect cock. He did it in such a tame, teasing way rather than in a rough manner, which I found extremely erotic.

My body shuddered with every stroke he gave me. He worked me up enough to get me where he wanted me, then he positioned himself on top of me and pressed his throbbing member against mine and began to grind against me in full contact.

I gripped the bed sheets tightly, as if I was resisting being taken away. If anything, it was my mind being sent off to a whole new plane of existence, one saturated in unexplored ecstasy.

We were panting heavily and letting a few words slip out involuntarily as Lucas continued to grind against me. My hands coursed over the tense muscles of his back. His face glistened as sweat began to form on it with his blue-black hair clinging to his forehead. His hot breath breezed against my face. Lucas never looked so sexy to me before now.

My hands descended his back and grasped his ass. His body was immaculate and felt amazing to the touch. The pace in which he was going was inconsistent, always picking up speed and causing me to climb higher to my destination, then he would slow down again right before I reached it. I love the way he teased me.

Quickly, it was becoming a matter of how long we've been at it rather than the pace in which he was going that was causing me to reach the climax. I bucked my hips and slid myself against him for once, eliciting a very satisfied groan from him. From there, the friction got progressively rough. It was like neither of us were the same person anymore, but at the same time, we were. I never felt anything like it in my life and not too long ago, I never would have expected anything like this to be happening with Lucas, but I'm the happiest guy in the world that it is.

I was getting closer, just a few more seconds and I would lose all control. I could tell that Lucas was almost there, too. I ran my fingers over his chest and slowly kissed up the side of his neck.

"Oh god, Barry." He hissed and grunted, "I-I'm gonna.. I'm.." His panting quickened as a good amount of hot white liquid sprayed out of his cock and onto our stomachs. Some of it even landed on my chest. My own cock was covered in Lucas' mess and that, along with the continuing friction between us immediately sent me over the edge, too. My hips continued to buck up against Lucas with each wave of cum that came gushing out on us.

We stayed like that for a minute, just catching our breath and soaking in ourselves. Lucas climbed off and laid next to me.

"That was... the best moment of my life..." I panted out.

"Mine too." Lucas breathily agreed. After a few moments, we just started laughing like we just heard the best joke in the world. I think it was all those feel-good enzymes firing off in my head all at once that caused that. I had plenty to feel good about, after all. My whole body was vibrating. I finally knew what sexual contact was like and luckily for the both of us, it wasn't an experience we'll regret.

I could barely move a muscle, but Lucas and I had to shower and clean up before we could relax.

I was always afraid that my first time with someone would be awkward and that I'd be too scared to do anything, but with Lucas it all came naturally. It was like we'd done it before, but I still felt the rush that came with being broken into the experience.

* * *

><p>I laid intertwined with Lucas in his bed. The bright and pale light of the moon spilled in through the window. I wanted the rest of my life to be like this. I refused to let the name of a certain person even cross my mind at this time. I was comfortably wrapped around Lucas, nearly dozing off.<p>

"I've been thinking about something." He announced suddenly, tugging me out of imminent sleep.

"Yeah?"

"Well.. maybe since you're going to be staying here more often, it would be a good idea for us to come out to my parents.."

My stomach was already starting to knot up. I gave him a very questionable look, I know, I know.. you're scared. I'm scared, too. Just think about it.. we won't have to sneak around or make up excuses as to why you're around so much. I swear, they'll be fine with it. I wouldn't even consider it if I didn't think so."

I hadn't even considered coming out to _anyone _at this point. I was content keeping our relationship our little secret. He's right, though. If his parents knew, things would be a lot more convenient. His parents are quite liberal-minded, too. There was still the undeniable capacity for things to turn out ugly and that's what prevented me from being totally okay with this. I trust Lucas, though. I genuinely believe he put a lot of thought into this decision.

"Okay, I trust you. Let's do it."

Lucas looked happy to hear my answer and kissed me on the forehead. "I promise this will work out for us."

* * *

><p>He planned on having this revelation take place as soon as possible so we wouldn't have time to worry or change our minds about it. The meeting started off as awkward and uncomfortably as anyone can imagine.<p>

"So, umm.. well.." Lucas floundered, his parents giving both of us a concerned look. He sighed in frustration. "There isn't really a way to say this without things being weird.. so I'll just say it." Lucas hesitated and glanced over at me in the silence, then back at his concerned parents. "Barry and I are together."

They appeared to be puzzled by the explanation.

"Together? You mean.." His dad started.

"As in.. a relationship." I answered.

The silence that followed was deafening and painful. At first, his parents exchanged desolate glances and I instantly regretted going through with this. Now what were we going to do?

I didn't get much of a chance to brainstorm an escape plan before his mom broke the silence. "Well, boys, this is definitely not something we expected to hear first thing in the morning.. or at all, to be honest." I braced myself for the worst of it. I imagined Lucas' mom would be the disappointed one, while his dad would take on the role of the furious parent. "It must've taken a lot of courage for you to tell us and we're glad you did."

It took a few extra seconds to register that her response was not full of contempt and disappointment like I had anticipated.

Lucas seemed to be in as much disbelief as me, "What are you saying?"

She smiled vibrantly, "Sweetie, I'm saying that it doesn't matter who you fall in love with. Yes, your father and I are taken aback by this and it'll take some time for us to get used to it, but we don't love you any less."

"We just want you to be happy, son." His father explained.

It felt like a crushing weight was being lifted off of me. Was this one of those dreams I had the night before a stressful situation? The kind that I wake up from in disappointment that things didn't really go that way and that I'll still have to deal with it?

Lucas' mom seemed happier than ever. "You and Barry have been friends since you were little, so I know that you two must be very happy with each other." .

I glanced at Lucas, "Yeah, we are." He blushed a little.

"Well, they say that the best relationships start off as friendships." His mother noted cheerily. "I'm happy for the both of you!"

She stood up and gave us both a hug and we both thanked her and Lucas' dad for being so understanding.

His mom turned her attention to me. "Barry, do your parents know?"

"Oh, no, I haven't found the right time to tell them yet."

"Well, you'll know when the time is right! There's never any rush, dear. I won't say a word."

"Thank you. I'll be happy if they react halfway as well as you did." I admitted.

"I'm sure everything will be fine! They'll understand."

I would give anything to ensure that my folks would embrace my sexuality in the same way. I was happy that Lucas' parents were so accepting. Not just because it made things easier on us, but because this means that Lucas doesn't have to hide anything from them anymore. He knows now that his parents truly love him for who he is. I'm so happy for him. I can't even imagine how elated he must be right now.

Melissa had a sly grin plastered on her face as approached us, "For the record, I totally knew you guys were in love with each other."

Lucas arched his eyebrows, "Oh yeah? How?"

"Come on! You guys have been giving each other googly eyes forever. Plus, you're way too close to each other to be straight!"

Lucas faked a laugh at her and ruffled her hair. It was all in good fun. If only my brother would have the same reaction if he found out. That wouldn't be happening in this lifetime, unfortunately.

Lucas' parents and his sister eventually cleared out of the house for the day, leaving us to our lonesome.

"That went better than I expected." I breathed out a huge sigh of relief as I let myself collapse onto the couch.

"Didn't I tell you it would?" Lucas replied.

I grabbed him by his hand and pulled him down next to me and wrapped myself comfortably around him. "Yeah, you did. I love it when you're right."

"Then I'll try to be right more often."

I huddled closer to Lucas as a cool breeze swept into the room from the window behind us.


	13. Edge

**Chapter 13: Edge**

**[Lucas]**

I hate watching the news. Yeah, it's a good idea to keep up with current events, but why did they have to be so depressing? I worry enough as it is without having to hear today's story about how some kid got beaten to death by a gang for so much as giving them a dirty look. As childish as it may sound, I prefer to pretend people like that cease to exist. It makes life a little more pleasant.

I was in kind of a bad mood today. Barry wasn't around; he was spending time at home. I didn't like it, but he still had to make occasional appearances back there every now and then to perpetuate this facade that we weren't groping each other 24/7. It's been over a week since we told my parents and sister that we were gay, but his parents were still in the dark and it would remain that way until the asshole retreated to his cave.. whenever that would be.

The good news is that we haven't seen much of him since the night I attacked him when he cornered Barry. Maybe he finally gets it? I can only hope. Apparently he hasn't been spending much time at home, either. Whatever, I know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. Perhaps now things will finally start going back to normal, now that we have three weeks left of summer vacation. At least Barry and I have a safe haven now. That's pretty much the best thing to happen to us lately.

I'm rather dissatisfied with how boring my life has become whenever Barry wasn't around. I know how unhealthy that is. I can't depend on just one person - my boyfriend - to make me happy. Then again, I am only in high school and unlike most of my classmates, I don't expect to have a vivid social life right now.

**[Barry]**

I absentmindedly played with my oatmeal with my spoon. I didn't have much of an appetite this morning. My mind was fixated on something that had been bothering me for a couple weeks now. I thought of how I'd bring it up and when, because once I do, there's no going back. I learned, especially in recent times, that these sort of things are best handled spontaneously. Ripping the bandage. No time to worry or overthink it. Just do it.

"Mom, I have a kind of an important question for you."

"Sure. What is it?" She asked from across the kitchen.

"So, why did you decide to have me? I mean, did you always want two kids or were you hoping for a girl or..?"

She gave me a baffled glance. "Well that's certainly a peculiar question. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just curious."

She walked over to the table and took a seat across from me, "Well, you're half right. Having a baby around the house is one of the most wonderful things you can ever experience. There's nothing that comes close to bringing someone into the world and being able to take care of them, teach them and love them unconditionally. I didn't want to have that experience just once. Your father and I always planned on having more than one baby, we wanted to add another member to our family and for Rick to have someone to call his little brother or sister."

A wide smile spread across my face, but I still had to know, "So, you didn't have me just because Rick was bored and wanted a playmate?"

My mom chuckled at my off-the-wall question, "Of course not, silly! Where in the world would you get that idea? Have you been watching those reality shows again?"

"Yeah, I guess." I played along, thankful that she provided me with something to work with on the spot.

"You were such a beautiful baby; always smiling and giggling and always getting into trouble!" She said with a warm smile. "Your brother was quite jealous of you for a while!"

I furrowed my brows. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, Rick was upset when we first told him he was going to have a baby brother! He said he wanted to be the baby of the family. Then when we had you, he was always competing with you for our attention."

"Really?"

"Yes, but he grew out of it soon enough. His whole attitude changed when you were about four. He must've realized what a blessing it is to have a little brother!"

My exuberant demeanor fell rapidly, but I managed as best as I could to not let my glower show. It made sense now. My mood picked up once I reminded myself that Rick was just feeding me bullshit to make himself feel better all along.

"Yeah, that must be it!" I answered a little too enthusiastically. My mom didn't question it. I was just happy that I got the answer I wanted.

"Oh, I can't believe today's the last day already." My mom sighed.

I was puzzled, "What are you talking about?"

"Rick hasn't told you? He's decided to head back to Unova tomorrow!"

"REALLY?" I struggled to contain my excitement. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel! My torture was over. This was turning out to be the best day ever! I couldn't wait to tell Lucas.

* * *

><p>He was just as excited as I was and we decided to celebrate with a movie date at my house. To make things better, Rick wouldn't even be home. He'd be out hanging with his friends during his last night in town. It was perfect.<p>

The usual tension I felt everytime I saw Rick today was replaced with awkwardness. I didn't know if I should acknowledge to him the fact that he was leaving or continue ignoring him.

I was feeling a little overconfident, so I decided to bridge the gap when I saw him in the kitchen.

"So, I hear you're going back to Unova tomorrow?"

"That's right." He said without turning his attention away from a magazine he was reading.

"Cool. Well, hope you have fun there." I decided this was too uncomfortable for me and began to head out. Pretending everything was all good was Rick's thing, not mine.

"Wait, Barry. This is probably the last time we're going to see each other for quite a while. When I come back to visit again, you'll probably be off far away at college or something. I know things were.. are bad between us, but why don't we just bury the hatchet right here, right now?"

I scowled at him incredulously and folded my arms defensively.

He sighed, "Come on. Brothers?" He opened his arms as if he wanted a hug. I furrowed my brows at him.

He dropped his arms and rolled his eyes, "Okay.." He offered his hand instead.

I stood there for a second before reluctantly accepting his reconciliation. We had a quick handshake.

"Brothers?" He asked.

"Yeah, brothers." I answered tepidly.

* * *

><p>"I wasn't being an asshole, was I?" I asked as Lucas sat next to me.<p>

"No way! You're just on guard and who can blame you? I wouldn't trust him as far I can throw him." He laid back, sprawling himself out on my bed. "Besides, it's incredibly unrealistic for you to jump at an apology or forgiveness that soon after all the bullshit he's put you through recently and during your whole life."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him and I sure as hell never expect to have a brotherly relationship with him, but as long as I don't have to deal with him, I'm okay."

"Good! I'm glad things are finally turning around for us.. for you, specifically." Lucas said as he kissed me on the cheek.

I laughed, "Now that summer's almost over!"

"That part sucks, but we'll make it through senior year no problem. Then we can move out of this town and move in together!"

I couldn't wait for that. June of next year can't come soon enough!

"So, do you have any snacks here?" Lucas asked.

"Hold on, I'll go check."

None. The cupboards and cabinets were void of all good snacks. Looks like we're gonna have to go shopping soon.

I returned to my room, "Not a single thing."

"Well, movies aren't complete with snacks. It's on me! I'll run to the store and get some."

"You don't have to do that."

Lucas headed for the door, "Come on, Barry, we're celebrating! You deserve it. I'll be back in a few!"

**[Lucas]**

I wanted to make tonight special for Barry. He's been through so much and now things are finally coming together. Best of all, his brother would be out of his life by tomorrow afternoon!

I darted back home and retrieved my bike and was on my way into town.

I pushed open the doors to the convenience store and was greeted with a cool breeze from the air conditioned building. The place was largely vacant this late at night, which was nice. I yanked open the fridge door to pull out a couple bottles of soda for Barry and I, then grabbed a few bags of chips and candy bars from the shelves.

I turned and headed for the register. That's when my attention was caught by this sleazy bar across the street with windows displaying the dimly lit interior. It wasn't the bar itself that was odd, it was the occupants. It was too far away to be certain, but from this distance, it looked like the four guys sitting on the right side were staring directly at me. They would occasionally raise a bottle to take a sip from it, but they would seldom turn to each other or face any other direction. I glanced around to see that the only other customers in the store were in completely different areas. None of them looked familiar, but they had to be about 21 years old.

Whatever was going on, I didn't like it and I made it a point to get out of here and back home in a hurry. The cashier rang everything up, I paid her and headed out the door. I kept my eyes on the ground as I made a beeline for my bike. I didn't dare to look up, but the sound of a door opening caused me to. The table on the right was now vacant. Its occupants were heading out the door and, to my horror, their attention was still fixated on me.

I froze. I tried so hard to get myself to just walk over to my bike and take off, nonchalantly or not, but my legs were involuntarily cemented to the ground.

"Hey kid! Isn't it a little late for you to be out in town by yourself?" shouted one of them.

Another one jeered, "Yeah, don't you have a curfew?"

I glared and suddenly regained mobility, so I headed for my bike while I still had the chance.

"It's not safe out here by yourself, you should've brought your special someone along to protect you!" I shot them a dirty look with slight confusion.

The other three guys roared in laughter. I was not amused. I was both scared and enraged. Who were these guys? I'd never seen them before in my life. They looked like a bunch of clean-cut, preppy college guys of the asshole, jock, fraternity variety. Kind of like..

"What's in the bag?" The blond one asked snidely. I already knew he was going to make a joke out of whatever my answer would be.

"Why do you care?" I shot back.

"Ooh, someone's got an attitude! We're just your friendly neighborhood samaritans! No need to be rude about it!"

"Yeah.. well, I'm in a hurry. See ya." I hopped on my bike, but was promptly torn off by the leader and hit the ground.

"Going somewhere?"

"What the fuck is your problem!"

"Well, I'd say that would be you, fag." He grinned and pulled me up by my shirt.

"See, you high school brats have no respect for anyone else. My boy, Rick, you know him right? Of course you do!" My eyes widened. I knew that asshole had something to do with this.

"He told me you're a cocky little bastard who thinks he can get the jump on anyone he wants and get away with it. I'm here to show you otherwise.."

Not a moment later, I was back in the ground and disoriented. The leader decked me pretty hard in the face.

"See, kids like you need to learn their place in the world. That goes double for _your_ kind."

"The hell are you talking about?" I snapped, rubbing my fingers over my fresh wound.

"Don't play dumb, faggot! We all know what sick shit you do with Rick's limp-wristed little brother!"

A sense of dread came over me. I was in stone cold shock. I was still trying to make sense of it. How the hell did Rick know about us? Was he just making an accurate guess or did he somehow find out? None of it mattered. All that mattered now was the deep shit I was currently in.

I didn't know what else to do other than stand up and continue playing dumb, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Again, my face met with the pavement and the mocking laughter of the three other guys surrounded me.

"Nobody likes a liar! Your boyfriend wouldn't be impressed!" The man cackled, "Grab him up, we're gonna do this in the alley."

They each grabbed me and forced me into the nearby alleyway. I struggled to break free of their grip, but they only tightened their grasp on me. It was no use.

Now every guy was taking turns shoving me around and beating the shit out of me. They barely gave me a chance to fight back, but when the rare opportunity presented itself, I took advantage of it and got in a few hits and attempted to gain momentum. It was difficult when it's one guy against a group of well-built older guys, though.

I was worried that this was it, this would be how my life ends. No one was around to help me and if these guys are anything like their friend Rick, they wouldn't show me any mercy. I didn't give up, I fought back as much as I could. I threw kicks, punches and even trash cans at them. They weren't too happy when I did that and that made them all the more aggressive, but I refused to go down without a fight.

"So if your best friend Rick put you up to this, why the hell isn't he out here fighting me with you!" I asked tauntingly, but also out of curiosity.

The leader laughed menacingly, "Oh, he's got his priorities. Don't you worry about him!"

I scrunched my brows. What was he talking about? At that moment, sirens could be heard.

"FUCK! Someone must've seen us!"

"Let's get the hell out of here! I don't need this on my record!"

The gang ignored me completely and took off to the opposite end of the alley. A few minutes later, a cop car zoomed past the alley and the convenience store I was just in and headed in a different direction. I leaned against the wall in relief. I was in a lot of pain, but not too much, thankfully.

My mind went back to what the leader told me, that Rick had "other priorities" or something. It didn't feel like just something he mentioned in passing, it felt like it had a certain meaning.

As soon as I remembered that Barry was wondering where I was, it hit me and it sent a chill up my spine. Barry was in serious trouble and I had no way to warn him.

I leaped to my feet, bolted for my bike and began pedaling furiously back home, ignoring every shot of pain that surged through my body.

**[Barry] **

It's been nearly an hour since Lucas left. What was going on? It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to go to the store and come back, even on bike.

Not gonna lie, I'm getting a little worried, but I always get worried when the smallest things are out of place. I kept reminding myself that as I watched random television shows in my room while I waited for Lucas to return.

My thoughts were interrupted by the front door slamming hard enough to shake the house. I immediately knew something wasn't right. Lucas would never slam the door.

"**BARRY!**" A bellowing voice came from downstairs. My stomach dropped. The voice was definitely Rick's. It was bad enough that he was home, but for some reason, he was seriously pissed off at me.

"Where the.. fffuck are y-you!" He seemed to be slurring his words badly. He's obviously drunk out of his mind. This was not good. Drunk Rick is a million times worse than sober Rick.

I shut off my TV and quickly, but quietly made my way to the guest room. It would be a mistake to stay in my own room. That's the first place he'd look, sober or not.

I heard glass breaking as I left my room. I didn't know if that was from his clumsiness or if he was destroying things out of anger. I was shaking all the way to the guest room and while I turned the doorknob. I felt like I couldn't make it in there fast enough, like I was in one of those nightmares where you move in slow motion or your legs don't work.

As soon as I was inside, I ran for the closet and attempted to conceal myself as good as I could. My heart was pounding in my chest and continued to increase in speed when Rick's footsteps came closer. Just as I thought, he searched my room first and cussed and yelled the whole time while doing it.

I felt so pathetic. I hated this situation so much, I could puke. I hated what Rick made me into; a whimpering coward that hid from his own older brother in a closet. I was 17, but he made me feel like a small child. I prayed that Lucas would return and get me out of here, but at the same time I hoped he wouldn't come back and get himself into trouble. Then a plan suddenly came to mind. There was a very good possibility that he would still find me in here and then I'd be cornered. While Rick's busy in my room, I can slip out of here, make it out of the house and go to Lucas' house and wait for him there.

I didn't have time to weigh the pros and cons, I had to make this decision NOW. I snuck back out of the closet and left the room. I quietly crept down the hallway and peeked in my room. From the view of my mirror, his back was turned to the door. Now was my chance.

I quickly made a break for the stairs.

"**HEY!**"

I stopped dead in my tracks. I was only halfway there.

"Where are you going, Barry? We need to talk." He said calmly in comparison to his screaming from only moments ago.

"Um, I I'm going out and I'm in a hurry, so-" I stuttered.

"No, you're not going anywhere! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" He approached aggressively, prompting me to take a few steps back.

I attempted to calm him down. "Rick, you're drunk. Why don't you just go lay down for a while?"

"Don't tell me what to do, little brother. I'm the one who tells YOU WHAT TO DO!" His calm demeanor was quickly reverting back to a more abrasive one. He raised the bottle of whiskey to his lips and took a long swig of it.

Right when he was distracted, I ran for the stairs. I didn't make it far. Despite him being distracted and inebriated, he was fast. He grabbed me and pulled me back up the stairs by my shirt.

"FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" He slammed me back into the wall, my head thudding against it pretty hard. He didn't give me a chance to recover before pulling me to my feet.

He screamed in my face, the smell of alcohol was very thick on his breath, "When I tell you to do something, YOU FUCKING DO IT!"

I shoved Rick back as hard as I could, with the little room I was given. He stumbled backwards and nearly tumbled down the stairs. I gasped, forgetting that they were right behind him. A part of me wished he had fallen. I ran down the hallway, but Rick was once again hot on my heels.

I had no idea what I was going to do, aside from play this game of cat and mouse until I finally made it out the front door. Lucas was still not back yet. What was going on? Did Rick have something to do with this?

I realized my best bet was to climb down the trellis from the balcony. Even Rick wouldn't be stupid enough to try to follow me down on that while drunk.

Rick tackled me to the ground in front of the entrance to the balcony. I pushed and kicked him off of me and ran to the trellis, but he wasn't going to give me an opportunity to do so. He promptly yanked me from it, nearly causing me to fall to the ground below.

"You psychotic son of a bitch! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!" I yelled furiously in his face. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Because, Barry, you were only born because of ME! Therefore, you n-need to treat me with respect. GET IT!" He stumbled back and took another drink.

I scoffed at him. "Look at you, you're pathetic! You don't even make any sense. Not even when you're sober. I talked to mom today, she told me that what you said was all bullshit."

"Don't listen to her." He coldly stated.

"Oh, okay. I'll just listen to my abusive, deranged older brother that belongs in a mental hospital. Actually, you know what? You don't deserve to be in a mental hospital. The only place you belong is a prison for the rest of your pathetic life." I glared at him right in the eyes.

"You're a piece of shit, Barry. You know that?" He laughed, "Why would you say that to your own brother?"

"You're no brother of mine." I turned my back on him and a sharp jab connected to the side of my face and sent me to my knees. My blood was boiling.

"Why don't you do everyone a favor and never come back? NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE!" I got up and shoved Rick backwards. Rick stumbled back before scrunching up his face which was turning a dark shade of red. "I would die happy if I never saw you again. I hate you."

He let out a primal yell as he darted forward and returned the force of my shove tenfold. I flew back into the railing of the balcony, which buckled at the impact. My heart stopped. I gasped and flailed my arms, struggling to grab onto something, but couldn't before it was too late.

I caught a glimpse of Rick before I fell off. He had a mostly blank expression on his face, but it seemed like he was satisfied with what was happening.

Lucas was my last thought before I hit the ground.


	14. Other Side

**AN: I know this chapter is probably shorter than most of the other ones, but hopefully quality makes up for the lack of quantity!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 14: Other Side<strong>

Houses and streetlights zoomed past me while I was pedaling harder and faster than I thought I was physically capable of. My muscles and lungs ached from overexertion and felt like they were on fire. Each breath came out as a wheeze and I was soaked in sweat. Yet, it was all as if I were moving in slow motion. I couldn't reach Barry's house fast enough. Each second that passed was another one that could prove to be dangerous for him.

"Please be okay, Barry, please.." I prayed as I used every last bit of my strength to keep pedaling. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest and in my ears. That, coupled with my breaths and the wind whistling past me blocked every other sound from reaching my senses. Even then, my racing thoughts still took precedence over all of that. I didn't care if I died, just as long as Barry's safe and sound.

As his house came into view, my stomach contorted so badly I feared it might start bleeding. Rick's car was parked in the driveway and Barry's bedroom light was on.

"Just a little further!"

I barely made it into his driveway before I leapt off the bike and bolted for the door. I didn't even care that I badly scraped my leg against the pedal.

As soon as I entered the house, which was eerily silent, I was about to head straight upstairs when my eyes fell on something out of place. It was pitch black outside, but I could see something a few feet away from the back patio doors. I crept closer to get a better look.

An overwhelming sense of horror rocked me to the core and sucked the air and life right out of me. My greatest fears were suddenly realized the instant I recognized Barry's still body lying outside.

"BARRY!" I flung the sliding glass door open and rushed to him. I was scared out of my mind as I tried to calm myself down and stop shaking long enough to check for a pulse. I laid my trembling hand against the side of his neck and breathed an incredibly shaky sigh while his pulse thudded against my fingers.

"Oh, fucking thank god.." I dropped my head against his chest and sobbed tears of relief. "I'm so sorry, Barry. I let you down again. I'm the worst fucking boyfriend ever!" I whimpered.

"You're too.. hard on yourself." Barry responded unexpectedly, nearly causing me to jump out of my skin.

"I'm so sorry, Barry! I'm so fucking sorry I wasn't here to protect you. This is all my-"

"Don't even say it, Lucas, because it's _not _your fault. It's not your duty to protect me, either. I'm not a child." His voice was silent and weak, his eyes were half-lidded.

"No, but I do love you and I'll be damned if I ever let anything happen to you."

Barry's lips curled into a slight smile and his grip tightened around my hand. I glanced around at the broken pieces of wooden railing around and us.

"He pushed you off the balcony. That son of a bitch!" I gritted my teeth and tightened my own grip, but quickly stopped once I realized I was probably crushing poor Barry's hand.

I swallowed hard and my breathing became unstable again, this time it was out of intense hatred and fury rather than mortal fear for Barry. "He tried to take you away from me." I stated coldly out loud. Barry scrunched his face in confusion.

I turned my attention to him, "You need help. I'm going inside to call 911." I gently rubbed his arm and kissed him on the forehead. "Just stay here, okay? Don't try to get up." He closed his eyes and nodded his head.

I stood up and reluctantly left him by himself while I ran back into the house to find the phone. I found the phone mantle, but of course, the phone itself was nowhere to be found.

"Dammit! Why can't anything go right today?"

I frantically searched around for it. After a short while, I finally thought to page it from the mantle. Upon pressing the button, I could faintly hear the phone beeping from upstairs. Oddly enough, it sounded like it was coming closer to me.

"Looking for this?" A taunting voice came from the top of the stairs. I glared up at the culprit. Just perfect.

"Give me the phone, Rick." I flatly demanded. I was in no mood to play games. Barry's life was on the line this time and my last thread of patience with Rick was about five seconds away from snapping. The hot feeling of rage returned and began rising in my chest.

He giggled sluggishly and lifted a bottle of dark brown booze to his lips, "You want it, bitch? Heads up!"

Before I knew it, the phone was being chucked full force at my head. I reflexively ducked out of the way instead of attempting to catch it. I realized my mistake as the phone collided with the hard wood floor and smashed into several tiny pieces. A few stray chunks of shrapnel hit me in the face.

"No wonder you fruits don't play sports. You can't catch for shit!" He laughed snidely, taking another big swig from the bottle.

My heart was pounding. I felt my whole body go numb while hateful thoughts sped through my brain. I blankly stared at my distorted reflection in the floor and dug my fingers into it as my fists clenched and unclenched against it. I wasn't consciously aware of what was happening to me. I never felt this kind of anger before in my life and it was getting insanely difficult to control by the second.

I could hear him talking down to me, but I wasn't listening to any of it. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts.

_"My brother.. he's a jerk. He beats me."_

Rick was a piece of shit.

_"Siblings aren't supposed to do this to each other." _

All he did was cause misery.

_"What's the matter? You can't fight your own battles, little brother?"_

What a worthless being.

_"If you EVER make me look like an idiot like that again, I'll knock your fucking teeth out!"_

He wasn't even worthy of being called a 'human'. He wasn't human, he was trash.

_"Little Barry's too scared of me, so he sends his big bad friend to do his dirty work, huh?" _

The world would be better off without him. I never hated someone so much in my life. The way he treats Barry is fucking repulsive.

_"I must've done some horrible shit in my past life to end up with you."_

I hate the way he makes Barry feel.

_"I swear, if I EVER find out you've so much as looked at him the wrong way again, I will kill you."_

I hate him for making me into this person that could seethe so much hostility and hatred. How fucking dare this useless asshole come and try to ruin the best thing to happen to Barry and I? We've done nothing to deserve this. I want him out of our lives. No, I don't want him to get off that easy. He's done too much damage, hurt too many people. Now he has to fucking pay.

"Hey prick, are you listening to me?" He shouted at me. My gaze met with him again. The mere sight of his cocky, smug face sent me into a spiraling frenzy of anger.

_"So you see, little brother, you were only born because of me. Not because mom and dad wanted to have another baby to add to the family tree, not to bring another little bundle of joy into the world. You were brought here to please me."_

The thread snapped.

Everything was a blur. I yelled at the top of my lungs as I flew up the stairs faster than I could process the thought. Rick's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets as I rushed him and knocked him the ground. The bottle he was holding flew from his grasp and the remaining liquid in it splashed over us and the wall and carpet.

My fists slammed relentlessly and rapidly into Rick as he laid helplessly underneath me. I couldn't help myself; each strike was more satisfying than the last. The hall was filled with his desperate pleas to get me to stop, my cursing and the sound of fists breaking skin and possibly bone. I was hitting him so hard, I wouldn't be surprised if I was damaging my own hands, but I didn't care. Nothing mattered. I couldn't stop until he felt the pain he deserved.

"Now who's the helpless one, you goddamn piece of shit! How does it feel, Rick? HOW DOES IT FUCKING FEEL! It's not too much fun is it, asshole? Now you know how your brother felt after all those fucking years of dealing with your bullshit! You deserve to fry in hell for what you've done to him!"

He desperately tried to gain leverage and fight back. He got in a few good hits and kicks to my torso, but nothing more. If anything, it only fueled my rage.

My fists connected with his head and arms. I even sent a few blows to his stomach.

"Please STOP! Please!" He whined. I simply laughed. There was something unquestionably satisfying about putting this bastard in his place and making him the victim.

"Did you ever stop when Barry asked you to? DID YOU!" I asked him, not letting up on my assault.

"Lucas! **LUCAS!**"

I thought I was becoming delirious. Rick's mouth wasn't moving and it didn't even sound like him calling my name. I stopped right as I was about to land another blow and turned to see Barry behind me, trying to pull me off of Rick. My mind barely registered the feeling of his arms around me.

"Barry! What are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to stop you from destroying your life!"

"Dammit, get off of me! This is what he deserves! All he does is hurt everyone. Now it's his turn to feel pain!" I readied my fist to punch him again when Barry grabbed my arm.

"I agree with you, okay? But it's not worth it if you end up in prison and I never see you again! Not to mention you'd be throwing your entire life away just to pay someone back." I lowered my arm to my side.

"This isn't you, Lucas. You're not a killer. You wouldn't be able to live with yourself, not even if it was Rick. You have a heart, you care about people no matter what and that's what I love about you." He wrapped his arms around my chest and leaned against my back. Everything he said resonated with me and all the anger and hatred I felt in the heat of the moment seemed to fade in an instant.

I stared down at Rick. He was a bloody and broken mess and my hands were stained of him. In fact, his blood was all over me. He was barely alive. I would've thought he was dead if it wasn't for his heaving chest. I bowed my head in shame, knowing I fucked up again.

"I'm going to prison anyway for doing this to him. I'm going to burn for this. I'm a monster, no better than him. Worse, actually."

He shook his head. "No, you're not. Come on." Barry slowly stood up and pulled me with him. We walked back and sat in the corner of the hallway. I felt so dizzy and disoriented. It felt like the intense hatred tore up my insides before leaving me and I thought I was going to be sick.

"We need to get you and Rick to the hospital." I said, clutching onto Barry for dear life.

"Don't worry about it, they're on their way."

I gave him a confused look, "How? Rick broke the phone."

"I found Rick's phone in his car and called while you were up here. Everything's going to be fine, just relax." He reassured me and ran his fingers through my hair.

"You shouldn't be walking around like that. You just fell, you should-"

Barry silenced me, "Shh.. I'm fine." He whispered.

I was in such a hazy state, everything felt surreal. I leaned in closer against Barry and held him tighter. Despite the chaos going on, I felt so comfortable and safe being cradled by him. I wanted to fall asleep there, but I knew I had no right to.

The peace was interrupted by the sound of sirens. Paramedics and police officers filled the scene and carried Rick away on a stretcher. Barry and I remained huddled in the corner watching everything happen.

"He needs to get to the hospital right away," I spoke up, referring to Barry, "He was pushed off the balcony. Don't worry about me."

"You're going to be taken there, too, just to be on the safe side." One of the paramedics answered. I admit I probably looked like a mess and was a lot worse off than I thought I was.

"We'll be needing to speak with you both about this situation soon enough." A cop stated sternly as we were loaded onto our own stretchers.

Before I had a chance to speak, Barry beat me to it. "My brother attacked us."

My eyes locked on Barry. What was he doing?

"He pushed me off the balcony and then attacked my friend over there. He had no choice but to defend himself." He continued explaining.

"Well, you're going to have to make your statements official later on. Right now, you two just worry about taking care of yourselves." The officer nodded at us and walked off. Barry and I exchanged glances once more before being pushed into the ambulance.

My heart was pounding in my chest. I didn't know what to expect after this. All I knew was that I was exhausted in every possible way. I passed out shortly into the trip to the hospital.

Let this nightmare be over with soon. That's all I ask.


	15. Everything We Worked For

**Chapter 15: Everything We Worked For**

**[Lucas]**

Everything was blinding white as I opened my eyes. I barely had any memory of what I might've been dreaming about, much less what happened before I fell asleep. It all came rushing back to me as I looked around the room and realized I was in the hospital.

"'Bout time you woke up, cutie." Barry said suddenly, startling me. I hadn't realized he was laying next to me the whole time. He had a slightly bizarre grin plastered on his face.

"Uhh, hey! Kinda soon for us to be snuggling in bed.. in public, don't you think?"

Barry rolled his eyes and scoffed, "God, Lucas, you really need to loosen up a bit." He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled his face against my neck.

Normally, this would make me feel good, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. A beeping heart monitor made its presence known and I glanced across the room to find a disturbing sight. There Rick was, lying helpless on a hospital bed, hooked up to several kinds of machines, including a respirator. He looked like he'd been in a car accident, but I knew better. I had done this to him.

"Oh god, ...Rick!" I shouted, covering my mouth and shuddering at what I saw.

Barry suddenly stopped nuzzling and threw his head back to give me a very annoyed look, "You fucking kidding me?"

I honestly didn't know how to respond to that. What was Barry's angle here?

"Last time I checked, _I_ was your boyfriend! Although, if you wanna go over there and neck with him, I'm sure he won't stop you!" Barry snickered.

"What the fuck, Barry?" I shot him a glare of disdain.

"Oh, lighten up!" He resumed nuzzling me. "Damn, I sure hope it's just the hospital that's making you act like this."

_Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you._

Barry began to press kisses against my neck, which eliminated most of my current thoughts. It felt like an eternity since we had a moment like this together. Soon, he was on top of me and we were full-on kissing. Not gonna lie, it felt amazing.

The slow, steady beeping of Rick's heart monitor soon became louder and faster. I groaned loudly into the kiss until Barry broke contact.

"Rick! We need to get a nurse!" I shouted frantically.

"Hmm?" Barry simply continued kissing along my neck.

"_**HELLO?**_ Don't you hear that beeping? Rick's in trouble!"

"Of course I hear it, silly. I'm not deaf. It's music to my ears." Barry grinned.

"What the FUCK?" Was the only thing I could manage to spit out.

Barry looked at me incredulously, "Suddenly the murderer has a problem with the possible death of the guy he tried to kill?"

A cold shock shot through my spine. I was floored. How could Barry be so cruel? I mean, I don't really blame him for wanting his brother dead, but the Barry I know wouldn't behave like this and he definitely wouldn't say such a thing to me.

"You picked a hell of a time to develop a conscience, babe." He continued.

"What's wrong with you? Who are you?" I was almost too afraid to ask. I didn't feel comfortable around Barry anymore. In fact, I wanted to be as far away from him as possible.

"Nothing's wrong with _me, _Lucas! I'm not the one who tried to kill someone!"

"Stop saying that!"

"Why? Does the truth hurt?" He was quickly becoming more abrasive.

The loud beeping continued and seemed to get louder. I had slipped off the bed and was backing away from Barry without even being fully aware of it.

I glanced at the vacant hallway outside, "Dammit, where the fuck are the nurses?"

"Don't pretend you give a shit about him, Lucas." Barry taunted. "They're not coming, you don't want them to!"

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is!"

"SHUT UP!" Just shut the fuck up and leave me alone!" I whimpered and pressed my hands against my ears to block him out, but it wasn't working.

"What if I don't want to?"

"Who are you?" I asked again, looking at him. He grinned mischievously.

"I was hoping to save the surprise for when we were alone." He spoke eerily, almost in a whisper. He turned his attention to Rick and approached him. "He won't be with us much longer." His tone gave off a sense of fake, taunting sorrow.

"All thanks to you, of course!" He quick turned and gave me a twisted smile and then approached me once more.

"What are you talking about?"

"They say that rage blinds you. For a while, I thought that was just some stupid expression that people threw around, but what you did to him just gave it a whole new, literal meaning!" He continued mocking me with his sly grin.

He leaned in and whispered in my ear, "You got the wrong brother."

A chill crept up on me. When he leaned back, it wasn't Barry's face that I saw on the man. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"RICK! HOW?" I was shaking and pressing myself as far back into the corner as I could, as if it were making a difference.

"You had your chance to get rid of me and you fucked up. Now it's my turn!"

I tried to make a run for it when I saw an opportunity, but it was no use. Rick quickly ensnared me and tossed me onto the bed next to Barry. He leapt on top of me and began working on crushing my neck with his bare hands.

I tried desperately to gasp for air and to flail him off of me, but it did no good. All I could hear was Rick's maniacal laughter and the heart monitor beeping madly.

A moment later, the beeping became a single piercing tone as Barry flatlined.

Rick turned to Barry. "Aww, there he goes. Off to a better place." He turned back to me. "I bet that makes you sad, but don't worry, you'll be joining him soon!"

Everything started turning blurry and dark and all the sounds were becoming muffled. Ironically, this was the best I felt since waking up. I wasn't scared and I no longer cared, I just wanted the pain to stop.

* * *

><p>I shot up like a bullet, taking in as much air as possible. I was trembling like crazy and barely had enough strength to sit up. I glanced around and recognized the dark room as my bedroom. I even pinched myself on the arm to make sure I was awake and back in reality this time.<p>

Barry was sound asleep next to me, stirring slightly in response to my abrupt return from my nightmare. I was absolutely wiped out. I gently wrapped my arms around Barry and snuggled against him.

It had been a few weeks since the situation with Rick reached its drastic conclusion. So much has happened in that short time. Barry's parents now knew about me and him being together and needless to say, they also became aware of Rick being a twisted psychopath. The revelation broke his mom's heart, especially after finding out just how long this has been going on. Can't say I don't know how she feels.

I beat Rick up pretty badly, but he's going to be fine, thankfully. If it weren't for Barry, I might've killed him. I hate Rick, but I could never do that to another human being. After he's released from the hospital, he's going to jail. Luckily, I won't be sharing a cell with him or anything. Due to Barry covering for me, I officially attacked Rick in self-defense. At least it's not too far from the truth.

Everything seems to be going fine, except for these horrible nightmares I've been having several times a week. I knew exactly what they were about, too. I was being haunted by the guilt I feel for destroying Rick. I feel even worse knowing that that makes me no better than him. Barry insists that I'm nothing like him and that I had a "noble" reason for beating him up. I try to believe him and let it sink in, but for some reason, I just can't shake the remorse.

Speaking of being beaten up, Rick's friends from the bar are currently doing time for assaulting me. At least Rick won't be lonely.

Aside from my own internal conflict, things were actually perfect. I was happy that both of our families were supportive of us and didn't blame me for what I did. Which is shocking coming from Barry's parents. I can't imagine what they're going through. It's gotta be a horrible feeling to have to go against your own son like that, but it's Rick's fault for putting them in that position to begin with.

* * *

><p>"Good morning." Barry greeted me as I opened my eyes. Sunlight beaming in through the blinds.<p>

"Morning." I yawned.

"You look beat." Barry noted, ruffling my hair.

"Didn't get much sleep."

"Aw, well I gotta get going anyway, so I'll let you finish sleeping." Barry leaned down and kissed me on the cheek.

"Hey, let's do something later." I mumbled as Barry turned to leave.

He beamed, "Sure! I'm up for that!"

"It's nice finally having freedom, huh?"

"Yeah, too bad it took us up until three weeks before school starts to finally get it!"

I nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll let you get your rest, sleepy head. Love ya!"

"Love you, too."

_Hopefully I can get some peaceful sleep without any fucking nightmares this time..._

**[Barry]**

These past couple weeks have been nothing but madness, but it seems now that things are _finally _coming together. About time, too. I've been waiting this whole summer for my life to stop being a hellish experience. Except now I had less than a month to enjoy it before I'm to be thrown into a different kind of hellish experience: high school. Honestly, and it terrifies me to say this, but high school was never as bad as this summer was. Freaky, right? However, with this trainwreck came the best opportunity in my entire life. It's not so black and white. It's difficult for me to say that I wish this never happened; I learned and gained so much out of it. I'm a stronger person now. I do wish this all happened in a much nicer way, but beggars can't be choosers.

For some reason, my mom sent me a text asking me to come home. She had something "important" to talk about. I could only imagine what it was about.

"Mom?" I called as I walked in the front door.

"In the kitchen!"

I walked in to find my parents sitting at the table. "Have a seat, dear."

This was awkward. I really hope they're not going to have some chat with me about being with Lucas. Ugh, the horror.

"Okay.. What's going on?"

"Well, your father and I have been discussing this for a while now and we wanted to wait until we settled on a decision before telling you."

"With everything that's happened between you, your brother and Lucas... Word travels fast." My dad started. "I'm sure you're aware that the whole town now knows of what's going on."

"Yeah. And?"

They hesitated for a moment.

"It's just going to be hard for us, as a family, to live this down. We get enough attention at work and out in public. You're starting school again soon and we all know how teenagers are. They're going to make life and studying more difficult for you." My mom explained, a look of concern on her face.

I did not like where this was going. "What are you guys saying?"

They looked at each other, before my mom finally answered me, "We decided that it'd be best if we had a fresh start in a new town."

"**NO!**" I stood from my seat, nearly knocking the chair over.

"Barry!"

"Are you guys crazy? That's a STUPID idea!" I shouted, my face turning beet red.

My dad attempted to rationalize with me, "Son, it's for the best! There are a lot more opportunities and so much else for us in Eterna City."

"Screw Eterna! Is Lucas over there? No! He's here. Everything I have is right _here_! I don't care about what other people say about me!"

"Barry, don't be so selfish! What about us?" My mom asked, I glared at her.

"Give me a break! I'm 17 years old and _I'm_ willing to deal with this. You're both adults and you want to run away! I can't believe this!" I tugged at my hair, feeling like I was ready to rip it out. "Besides, it's not like they'd be on this forever! They'd eventually find something new to talk about!"

"I'm sorry, Barry, our decision's final. We've already put our house on the market." My dad explained. My jaw dropped to the floor.

"Are you serious? You did all this WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING TO ME?" My voice rose higher the angrier I got.

"We told you that we didn't want to say anything until we were sure, especially with everything else you've had to deal with!" My mom repeated.

"I.. I just don't believe this."

"I know, but you'll eventually get used to this in time. I promise." My mom was trying to be sweet. I was furious

"Oh, so _I'm_ the one who has to learn to deal with shit while you guys make all the decisions for me! That's really fair!" I suddenly had an idea. "Wait, what if I just stayed here with Lucas and you two just move away?"

"Giving you a fresh start is one of the reasons why we're moving in the first place, Barry! It wouldn't make much sense if we left you behind."

"But I don't _want_ a fresh start! How many times do I have to say it?"

"You may not understand now, but we do know what's best for you." My dad answered.

"I'm almost 18, an adult, I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

"Keyword is 'almost'. I'm sorry, Barry, I know this is hard, but until you're an adult, you can't make your own decisions." I could only scowl at my mom. "Please try to understand."

"No, I can't understand why you would **EVER** think it's a good idea to take me away from the best person to ever walk into my life! What do you guys have against Lucas, anyway? He loves me and protects me! If it weren't for him, Rick would have either killed me or I would have killed myself. Whichever came first! You guys acted like you appreciated him, but now it's obvious that was all bullshit!"

"That's _**NOT **_true! We _do_ appreciate Lucas, he's practically family! This has nothing to do with him, this is us doing what's best for you!" My mom stood up, nearly in tears.

"Do you really expect me to buy that, mom?" I didn't bother waiting for an answer, I stormed straight out the door, slammed it behind me and headed for the park, ignoring my mom's desperate pleas for me to come back.

* * *

><p>I was there for hours; thinking and crying mostly. I didn't give a shit who saw me. A few people noticed me, but didn't bother me or anything. I was starving by nightfall, but at the same time, I was in no mood to eat.<p>

"Hey." Lucas said as he approached the bench I was sitting on, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Hey." I thought I was going to puke then and there.

He took a seat and almost immediately picked up on my mood, "Got your text. What's going on?"

I closed my eyes and tried to think of the best way to break the news to him, "Get this. My parents suddenly decided that it's best for me to pack up and leave town with them. A fucking 'fresh start'." I attempted to laugh it off to mask my sadness. Lucas was speechless.

"They put the house up for sale and everything. Didn't bother to tell me until this morning. Apparently Eterna City is the land of opportunities and new beginnings!" I stated facetiously.

Lucas stared blankly down at his feet.

"Pretty awesome, huh?" I asked with sarcasm. "All the shit we've been through, everything we worked for, all so we can spend two whole peaceful weeks together."

I cradled my head in my hands, "I can't believe this."

"Barry.." Lucas wrapped me up in his arms. His embrace no longer felt the same. Instead of healing my heart, it only caused it to break more.

"You know, the main reason we did all those things to get Rick out of the picture was to ensure your safety from him. Now that he's going to be locked up and your parents know how he treats you, he'll never be able to hurt you again. That's why we did this, it's what I envisioned the entire time. Your safety took precedence over us just having a peaceful relationship."

"Why do you have to be so damn sweet?" I cried into his chest. "Being with you is just as important to me as my safety. You make me feel better than anyone or anything has ever made me feel before. I don't want to live without you."

"I don't want to live without you, either. That's the last thing I want. I love you more than fucking _anything_ else. I just want you to be safe. You could use a fresh start after all this, think of how shitty school's gonna be. Everyone would try to make our lives miserable."

"I don't care about any of that! As long as I'm with you, none of it matters. You make me a stronger person anyway. I'd rather be teased by a few idiots and still have you around than go to some new place where I don't know anyone, where I'm all alone and without you. It's a small price to pay if you're there with me. Believe me."

I pressed myself into him and held onto him as if he was being taken away. It hurt like a bitch to think this would be one of the last moments like this we'd have together. I didn't want to think about it.

"And what about you? You're going to get shit at school, too." I noted.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He stated calmly. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he wasn't happy about having to deal with the other kids on his own.

"I am going to worry about you. It's not fair. If I'm supposed to be protected and sheltered, why do you have to stick around and brave it on your own?"

"Would your parents let you stay with me?" He asked.

"I already asked, they said no."

"Then.. I guess there's nothing we can do." His voice was full of disappointment.

"Yeah.."

We stayed like that for a while, holding each other and listening to the other's heartbeat and slow breathing.

After a few minutes, I broke the silence, "I guess it's going to happen after all."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember all those times when you almost moved away? I thought we escaped the danger of that happening. Now it's happening to me."

Lucas sighed deeply, "Yeah, just our luck. We celebrated too soon."

"In case I never made myself clear, I'm really going to miss you." I said, choking up.

Lucas tightened the embrace. "I'm really going to miss you, too."

"Before you go, we're going to have to spend as much time together as possible."

"Yeah, we will." I responded weakly. That's what I wanted, but I feared that would just hurt me even more. So much for our victory.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The only thing I really have to say here is that the next entry will be the final chapter. Thanks so much for reading, reviewing and keeping up with this story for the past few months! I'm hoping to have the last chapter up in less than a week, so be on the lookout!<strong>


	16. Moving Day

**Final Chapter: Moving Day**

**[Barry]**

It was official. Well, as official as it would get, I suppose. Rick was out of my life for good. Even when he's released from jail, which I hope won't be a long time from now, he's not allowed anywhere near me. I made that absolutely clear and I have no intention of changing my mind about it anytime soon. With all that being said, I thought my panic attacks and weaknesses were behind me, yet here I am crying myself to the point of throwing up every night.

I put on a straight face and a strong demeanor for Lucas' sake. I don't want to make things more difficult than they already are. But when I'm alone, I allow my emotions to vent out. So much for thinking I was a stronger person now. I could hardly even look at Lucas these days. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought I hated him now or something. It's like a knife to the stomach. I don't want to think about Lucas knowing that I'll be leaving him tomorrow.

My parents were _lucky_ to get me to so much as glance in their direction lately. I don't care about any of their bullshit lines on how one day I would thank them. Maybe one day when I'm not a seething furnace of rage towards them, I would understand why they thought it was a good idea to get me out of a town where we had all earned notoriety, but taking me away from Lucas will never _**ever**_ be justified.

Lucas is the one I'm meant to be with. He saved my life more times than I can count, whether he knows it or not. My parents should be on their fucking knees and worshiping the very ground that Lucas walks on. If it weren't for him, I honestly would have killed myself. He protected me from my asshole of a brother and inspired me to be more independent. Now after all that, they want me to be without him. How fucked up are they? I don't want a new beginning without Lucas. The entire city could chase me with torches everyday for all I care. I'd rather deal with that with Lucas there than be safe in another town where I'm all alone.

The worst part about it was there was not a single fucking thing I could do about it. I'm still a minor.

Almost every day since my parents announced they were planning on ruining my life, I was pestering them to allow me to stay behind. Each attempt was more futile than the last, but I kept at it. If nothing else, maybe they'd let me stay if I annoyed them enough.

When I wasn't trying my best to sell the idea to them, I was with Lucas, as heartbreaking as it was for me to be anywhere near him. I felt like such a jerk; he was busting his ass to make me happy during our last days together, but I wasn't having much fun. I couldn't be happy knowing we're going to be separated and I didn't want to show him how upset I was, so I chose to feel nothing and pretend I was having a blast. I just hope that if my feigned happiness was obvious, that he doesn't think he's the reason why I'm sad.

They say time flies when you're having fun, so why did I all of a sudden find myself on the eve of moving day? I sure as hell wasn't having any fun lately. Maybe pretending I was having fun was good enough to make time hurry along.

Everything that had littered my room for so many years was now packed up in boxes all around. My walls were a bare pasty white, devoid of anything that used to hang there. I never thought I'd see my room like this.

A sudden knock at the door startled me out of my thoughts.

"Just a second!" I frantically wiped the tears from my eyes and tried to make myself presentable before opening the door.

"Sorry, I forgot my bag in your room!" Lucas smiled as he briskly walked in to retrieve his bag.

"No problem." I could kick myself for not making a better attempt at disguising my mood.

Lucas immediately picked up on it. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." There was no way that would convince him. It was virtually impossible to hide my misery at this point. The fact that I was doing my best to avoid looking at him probably didn't help the cause, either.

He frowned at me, "Come on. We both know I'm not going to buy that." Heh. He knows me too well.

"I know." I took in a deep breath and exhaled.

I felt his hands gently rub against my back. I tried so hard to be strong, but it all came crashing down in one instant. I immediately spun around and buried my face into his shoulder, sobbing unabashedly.

"I can't do this! I can't fucking _do this!_" I shouted in between muffled sobs.

"Everything's gonna be alright, Barry. Trust me." Lucas said, running his hands along my back and attempting to calm me down.

"How! How the hell is everything going to be alright? This is so unfair!"

"I know it is, but this is the way things have to be." He said in a calming voice. I simply stood there, locking him in my hold while tears streamed down my face.

"You're the strongest guy I ever met and I'm not just saying that because of the bear hug you're giving me right now!" He joked. Had the mood been a little lighter, I would've chuckled along with him, but I just couldn't.

"You stood up to your biggest enemy on more than one occasion this summer, something you never thought you'd be able to do. That's something _a lot_ of people can't say they've done. If you can handle that, I know you're going to be fine when you're on your own. You don't need me there with you to be strong. You're already there."

What he said made me smile. "Nobody's ever going to replace you, you know." I admitted, "Not that anyone else would want to be with me anyway."

"You're insane. All the cute guys are gonna be after you and I'm gonna be jealous of every one of them."

"Well, even if that's the case, you're still the only guy I wanna be with." I pulled away from him and we sat on the edge of my mattress, Lucas sat next to me. A somewhat awkward silence followed for a few minutes. I could practically hear the both of us racing through our thoughts, trying to figure out what to say next.

"You know, I always wanted to be with you, but I was scared. I was afraid of so many things, mostly that admitting that I liked you would put you off or that if our relationship didn't work out, it would ruin our friendship and everything we already had." I admitted, staring down at my lap.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, "Even if I wasn't interested in you like that, which I am, I wouldn't let something like you liking me as more than a friend ruin our friendship. And even if our relationship didn't work out, you'll always be my best friend. That's never going to change."

I fought back more tears, "Will you come visit me?"

He pulled me back against tightly him, "Every chance I get."

* * *

><p><strong>[Lucas]<strong>

I woke up without realizing I'd even fallen asleep to begin with. If the stacks of boxes around me wasn't enough evidence I was in Barry's room, the boy himself sleeping peacefully on top of me was.

I stared down at him and ran my fingers through his soft blond locks. Poor guy was trying his best to keep me in the dark about how badly he was suffering. He didn't know that I wasn't taking this so well myself. He wouldn't find out if I could help it, I needed to be strong and not make things worse for him. I just had to wait for him to leave today and I could be as miserable as I pleased.

He began to stir, "Good morning, Barry."

"Good morning, Lucas." He replied, voice thick with sleep. He pulled himself up and laid next to me.

"This is it." He stated morosely, arms folded on his stomach.

"You're going to be fine." I reassured him again, "I'm going to come visit you whenever I can. I promise."

"Yeah.." He sighed, staring down at his feet.

Barry's mom knocked on the door and entered the room, "Barry, we're leaving in.. Oh, sorry! I didn't know you were here, Lucas!" His mom smiled and blushed before finishing what she came to say, "We're leaving in an hour. The movers will be in here to load your things into the truck shortly."

Barry didn't bother to answer as she left.

"I'm sorry, Lucas."

I was a little confused, "For what?"

"For being such a downer lately. I'm not making these last few moments very enjoyable for everyone, including you."

"You can't help it. Nobody blames you, especially not me. I hate this shit just as much as you do." I grabbed his hand, "For the record, you're not making our last moments together any less enjoyable. I love being around you no matter what."

"You're the best." A wide grin spread across his face, probably the most genuine one he's had since he found out he was moving. It gave me a really nice feeling to see him smiling through all of this. "I'm not going to be bitter about it anymore. Everything that I.. _we.. _have been through with Rick has taught me to be thankful for the good things in life and it's made me into a stronger person. I'm not going to let those lessons go to waste."

"I'm so proud of you, Barry." I honestly couldn't be more proud of him. He's grown up so much. Whoever he ends up with will be the luckiest guy.

Our last intimate moments together ended abruptly when a couple guys suddenly walked in to move Barry's boxes into the truck. They shot us an awkward look when they saw us together on his bed. I didn't care. We're in love and about to be separated. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

* * *

><p>As Barry's house became emptier, my stomach began to hurt and my heart pounded faster in my chest. Time was conspiring to separate us as fast as possible, it seems. We stood outside watching the movers load the last boxes into the back of the truck.<p>

My parents and sister had since joined us at Barry's house to say goodbye to everyone. Barry and I stayed outside by ourselves most of the time, up until the dreaded moment when everyone else stepped outside, too. That could only mean that we'd ultimately have to face the reality of separation for real.

"Barry, it's time for us to go!" His mom chimed in. My heart dropped knowing this was it. I really didn't even know what I was going to say or if I _could _say it without bursting into tears.

"I'm going to miss you." He said, smiling and staring into my eyes. I nearly lost it, but I stayed strong.

"I'm going to miss you, too." I gave him a big, long hug before kissing him. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will! Don't worry about me!" He smiled, but I could tell he was trying his best to remain composed, too.

He gave my sister a hug, "I'll miss you too, Melissa!"

"Me too, Barry. And don't worry, I'll make sure Lucas stays out of trouble!"

He chuckled, "Thanks, I appreciate that!"

I stood back watching everyone else say their goodbyes and Barry's parents telling mine that I'm welcome to visit whenever I wanted.

They headed for the car. I could barely manage to lift a smile when Barry waved at me before climbing into the back seat and shutting the door. I bit my lip as they pulled out of the driveway. Barry turned back to watch me while they drove off down the road. I started waving as they left, then ran out into the road and continued to wave as the car drove further away. Barry's gaze never shifted as long as I could see him. I stood there until I couldn't see them anymore.

I felt a lump form in my throat and it became difficult to breathe. My eyes burned as tears threatened to spill down my cheeks.

"Goodbye, Barry."

I silently dragged myself back to my room, hoping no one would bother talking to me. I wasn't in any mood to talk to anyone right now. Who knows? Maybe I wouldn't want to talk to anyone ever again.

I passed out for a few hours after having a much needed sob session.

* * *

><p>"Lucas? Lucas! Wake up already!" Melissa was frantically trying to shake me awake.<p>

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" I groaned, tossing the blanket over my head.

"Mom wanted me to tell you dinner will be ready soon." She explained.

"I'm not hungry."

"Is this about Barry?"

I threw the blankets off myself, "How did you know?"

"I just know these things!" She said matter-of-factly.

I sat up on the bed, "I don't know what I'm going to do without him. He probably thinks I'm perfectly fine, but I might be hurting worse than he is."

"You'll see him again, won't you?"

"I don't know. If I do, it probably won't be the same. Won't be as often, either. He was the best thing to ever happen to me and now that we were finally making the most of it, he's gone." I cupped my face in my hands and ran them roughly through my hair.

"Don't say that! I'm sure things will be fine." She was trying her best to lighten my mood. It was sweet, but it wasn't doing much to help me.

"For our friendship, hopefully. But our relationship will probably never be the same."

"At least you'll still have your friendship, though. And maybe if you're lucky, there will be another cute guy moving in next door who'll need you to save him." She smiled at me.

I just laughed, "Maybe you're right." My expression soured after a second, though, "I'm really going to miss him. It's going to take me a long time to get past that."

"So will I. He was fun.. and cute, too! You have great taste!" She said cheerfully.

"Well I'm glad my taste gets your approval!" I chuckled, thankful I was in a little bit of a better mood now. "Thanks, Melissa."

"Don't mention it!" She gave me a hug before leaving the room. Maybe everything will be alright for all of us. I guess it was just going to take time.

I was on my way downstairs when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" I shouted.

I pulled the door open and nearly had the wind knocked out of me. For a second, I thought I was hallucinating, maybe even dreaming as I opened the door and saw who was waiting on the other side.

"Barry! What are you doing here?" I was full of shock and glee and I'm sure my face reflected that in the dorkiest way. "Did your parents' car break down or something?"

"Actually, I was wondering if your offer still stood. You know, about me living here?" He smiled brightly. "My parents changed their mind!"

"Yes, of course my offer still stands!" I nearly knocked him down as I ran out to hug him. "Tell me this is real!"

"This is definitely real. You're practically crushing my ribcage!" He laughed and groaned at the same time.

I set him down and called my parents to the door, "It's still okay for Barry to stay with us, right?"

"Of course it is! We have a room ready and everything! Your parents changed their mind?" My mom asked him.

"Yeah, they realized how much happier I would be here."

"Well, we're glad to have you here, Barry. Make yourself at home!" My mom welcomed him warmly before she and my dad retreated back into the house to give us some alone time.

"I only have a few things with me right now. My parents will be sending the rest to me later." Barry explained.

"Well, let me help you with your stuff. I'll show you to your room!" I can't tell you how good it felt to be able to say that.

For the first time in my life, I could say with confidence that everything was perfect. I was the luckiest guy in the world. It didn't matter that school was starting soon. Everything was going too well to let something irrelevant like that ruin it. Nothing was going to tear us apart ever again.

"We can share my bed until you get yours back." I told him, a sly grin on my face.

"I don't think that'll be a problem!" He said before giving me a kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Well, that's it! I really hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is quite a feat for me as this is the first full-length story that I've actually completed. That, and I've never written a story this long before. I want to say a big THANK YOU to those of you that took the time to review, especially my very good friend, <span>the upward glance<span>! I'll be writing her more often. My next story will probably not be about Lucas and Barry, but you can probably count on seeing a sequel to this story! Thanks again!**


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